


When Hope Is Gone

by Faythren



Series: The Marked Chronicles [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: #coulsonlives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brainwashing, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Mind Control, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Robot/Human Relationships, Sparkmates, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-30 22:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 83,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8552209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faythren/pseuds/Faythren
Summary: Sequel to Move AlongAri has been Autobot Ambassador for over a year and things are good. The Decepticons are quiet and humans have accepted the Autobots remaining on Earth. She knows this peace isn’t supposed to last, but when it’s finally disrupted it’s by an unexpected source: the Chitauri, the army Loki led to attack New York years ago. Their goals are unclear, but what Ari does know is that it’s going to take all of Earth’s mightiest heroes to stop them this time. Especially since it is not Loki who leads them but someone far more sinister.





	1. Only the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, glitches!
> 
> Sorry it's taken so long, this is certainly happening later than I originally intended, but my hands have not been idle. I've made good progress on writing this story but the plot has been a bit more fluid in my head than usual, making me go back to previous chapters to add or change things. This chapter is pretty much solid though so I figured I could post this now but keep a tentative update timeline of only one chapter per month for now. Sorry, I know that's not a whole lot, but it'll pick up soon, promise.
> 
> For those of you wondering, this is indeed my Move Along sequel that's a full-fledged Avengers crossover. The rest of the Avengers will be showing up in this fic to have some fun with Ari and the rest of the gang. This fic is set pretty early in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after the Avengers but before Thor 2. Thor 2 actually won't be happening at all because of things that happen in this fic. So the whole S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra fiasco of Captain America 2 hasn't happened and there is no Sam Wilson or Bucky Barnes.
> 
> But I will let you in on a little secret: as per the requests of my readers and my own imagination, this Move Along universe will be a trilogy. So just you wait, folks. Sam and Bucky will be joining us momentarily.
> 
> Before I forget...DISCLAIMER: I own nothing Transformers, Avengers, or Marvel related. I only own my OCs and the plot. Duh.
> 
> Anyway, this fic! This is going to be a bumpy ride, guys, so buckle up and hang on cause we're taking off fast.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Light blue eyes stare back at Ari in the bathroom mirror. They're sharp, thoughtful, full of a knowledge many people can't even imagine. But they can tell that she's seen a lot—more than she should—for someone with such a young face.

Though she's not as young as people believe her to be.

She's gotten good at using makeup to make her features appear older but it's still the face of a twenty-year-old who looks like a sixteen-year-old.

Even though she's technically twenty-one now.

A year has gone by since she gained her last AllSpark mark. A year has gone by since she essentially stopped aging.

A year since she stepped into her role of Autobot Ambassador.

She tucks a strand of redish-brown hair back behind her ear that had come loose from her bun and straightens her dark blue suit jacket before picking up her briefcase and exiting the bathroom into a well-lit hallway. One wall of the hallway is completely made of glass, the windows letting in the warm Californian sunlight. Ari moves quickly, her one-inch heels clicking against the tile floor, legs thankfully unimpeded by a pencil skirt today since she opted to wearing a pant suit.

She's been kept quite busy this past year. A lot of people were out for blood after the Battle of Chicago with Sentinel Prime. There were a lot cries wanting all Cybertronians booted off planet, but Ari reminded the world what it's so quickly forgotten.

If the Autobots were gone, the Decepticons would not simply follow them. If the Autobots had really left that day, then the entire human race would be enslaved or extinct right now.

Sure, Earth's mightiest heroes, the group known as the Avengers, were on their way to Chicago even as the Autobots fought in the streets, but there was no guarantee they would have won. And even if they did, how many more would have died by then?

Ari fought tooth and nail for people to accept the Autobots again. Now, a year later, people have finally started to put Chicago in the rearview mirror. They're moving on, some more bitterly than others, but they're allowing the Autobots to stay while allowing Ari to focus on other tasks.

That's why she's walking down a hallway towards the office of Ms. Pepper Potts, C.E.O. of Stark Industries.

The World Security Council has been wanting the Autobots to share their technology for years. They've shared some, in order to help N.E.S.T., but they have so much more to offer. And the Autobots want to; they want to help the human race any way they can. The war against the Decepticons hasn't left them with time for much else though.

But now, with Megatron offlined and the remaining Decepticons either being hunted down or in the wind, the Autobots are willing to start sharing more.

So long as the knowledge is in the right hands, hands that won't twist what they gain into weapons.

Ari has been looking for trustworthy hands for many months now but she thinks her searching might be coming to an end soon.

 _"Do you really think this could be the one?"_ Sideswipe asks through the bond they share as sparkmates. He's waiting outside for her, sitting in his alt mode in the parking lot. He wanted to come inside with her, as he has at every other company they've been to, but every time she tells him no. This is something she has to do, alone, as Autobot Ambassador. She's not letting any of these companies get close to an Autobot until they've gone through her.

 _"Yeah, I do,"_ she tells him. _"I have a good feeling about this company, and its C.E.O., and my instincts haven't let me down yet."_

She can hear his laughter in her head, though it's less of a sound and more of a feeling. _"No, they certainly haven't. Good luck, sweetspark."_

_"Thanks."_

She reaches the waiting area precisely five minutes early, passing the people sitting in cushy chairs to the receptionist desk guarding the C.E.O.'s door.

The receptionist looks up from her computer with a polite smile, eyeing Ari curiously. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Ari Lennox," she says, showing the woman her visitor badge. "I have a meeting with Ms. Potts at ten 'o clock."

The receptionist's eyes light up in recognition and she stands, moving out from behind the desk. "Ah, Ms. Lennox. Ms. Potts has been expecting you. If you'll just come this way."

Ari follows her to the door to the right of the desk leading into Ms. Pott's office. The walls of the office are glass so she can see through them into the room where the C.E.O. sits at her desk writing something. Pepper Potts is a slender woman with strawberry blonde hair and sharp, angular features. She's beautiful in a way that tigers are beautiful, a beauty that hides a power that isn't to be trifled with or underestimated.

The receptionist knocks on the door and then opens it a crack, sticking her head in. They exchange a few words and then the receptionist motions Ari into the office, closing the door behind her. Ms. Potts stands, rounding her desk with a smile and an outstretched hand. "Ms. Lennox, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise, Ms. Potts," Ari replies, shaking her hand. "And, please, call me Ari. We have so many mutual friends, I feel like I know you already."

"In that case, call me Pepper. I certainly feel the same."

"It's because of some of our mutual friends that I'm here, actually."

"Then how about we sit." Pepper leads her over to a sitting area and Ari takes a seat on one of the plush couches. "Would you like some coffee? Water?"

"Water is fine."

Pepper goes to an end table where a pitcher of water and a coffee machine sit. She pours a glass of water for Ari and a mug of coffee for herself. Ari mumbles a thank you when handed the glass and then Pepper takes a seat on the couch across from her.

Ari takes a sip of her water before setting the glass down on the coffee table between them and beginning her well-practiced speech. "As you know, the Autobots are ready to share some of their advanced technology with the world. They have insights into computers, medicine, green energy, and more that could send us decades ahead in just a few short months. However, they need someone to share their knowledge with, humans who have a hope of understanding what it is the Autobots have to offer. That is why for the past several months I have been visiting technological companies around the globe looking for the right kinds of humans."

"Stark Industries would certainly be interested in the opportunity," Pepper says, casually crossing her legs but Ari can see the eagerness in her eyes. "We are the best in practically every scientific field in the world."

"But I'm not just looking for the best. I'm also looking for the most honest. According to the Non-Biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty, the Autobots have an agreement with the human race that they will not share any technology dealing with weapons, and humans are not to force them to. That also means that if the Autobots share their technology with you and then Stark Industries turns around and uses what they learn to make weapons, it will be a broach in the treaty. The Autobots will be allowed to act as they see fit, including destroying any technology or plans developed based on what they share with you."

"We would never betray such a confidence," Pepper says firmly, looking almost angry at the thought. "And in any case, Stark Industries ceased making weapons a few years ago. I'm sure someone with your resources can check to make sure. We're no longer in the field of weapons and we're not about to start again now."

Ari's mouth tugs up into a crooked smile. "Oh, I know. Our mutual friends assure me that your company has kept its promise not to make weapons anymore. That's why I left Stark Industries to the end of my little tour. Despite assurances, I wanted to make sure your company really is the best route to go."

"And what conclusion have you come to about the others?"

"That, unfortunately, most companies would betray our trust if given half a chance."

"Let me guess, you went to Hammer Industries?"

"No, I didn't even go to Hammer Industries, not after that stunt Justin Hammer pulled at the Stark Expo." Ari sighs deeply, slumping back against the couch cushions. "The Autobots are my family, Pepper. I will protect them whatever the cost. If I don't have absolute certainty that weapons won't come of this venture, then I'll shut the whole thing down."

"I can definitely understand that," Pepper says, voice full of earnest. "So what about Stark Industries? Do you think we can be trusted?"

Ari reaches for her glass again and takes a long sip of water. While she does, she goes through the doors in her head that contain the knowledge of the AllSpark. All of the past and all of the present is contained inside her head, and Ari uses that knowledge to look into the past and present of Stark Industries.

It is a dark past. A bloody past. The company was built on a foundation of metal and bullets; weapons of mass destruction. Those weapons have done a lot of harm, but not all of that harm was intentional. She can see Tony Stark's guilt, the guilt that he carries with him every day because of the double sided dealings his company was making behind his back by selling weapons to America's enemies. It wasn't his fault, but he shoulders that guilt anyway because it was the fault of someone he trusted. Since the darkness was brought to light, he's been working on making a better company, a better legacy to the world, and not just as Iron Man. Though he is no longer C.E.O., handing that honor over to Pepper himself with no hesitation, he still continues to steer his company into a brighter future.

He wants to help people. He wants to save people. And he wants to hopefully one day give them a peace that he's never been able to feel himself. His company follows him in that dream, diligently and with loyalty.

Ari swallows her water, setting the glass down again with a small smile. "I believe this company could be what I've been looking for, and not just because it comes highly recommended. There are good hearts and minds in this place. I can see it. And I can see us making a lot of good together."

"So do I," Pepper says with an answering smile, only kindness there without any of the conceitedness Ari has seen in so many of the other C.E.O.s she's met with. "We would be honored to work with you and the Autobots."

Ari opens her mouth to say more but then a wave of unease washes down her spine like icy water. The feeling isn't her own, it's coming from Sideswipe, and she instantly reaches for him along their bond. _"Sideswipe, what's going on?"_

 _"I'm not sure,"_ he says. _"I just picked up this weird energy reading."_

_"Coming from where?"_

_"The roof of Stark Industries."_

A bad feeling forms in the pit of Ari's stomach. _"Can your scanners pick up anything else up there?"_

 _"I...I think so. I'm picking up some form of life but I don't know..."_ A pause and then a flood of panic down the bond. _"Ari, they're not human. They're Chitauri. There are ten Chitauri on the roof."_

_"Those aliens from the Battle of New York that the Avengers fought?"_

_"Yeah, and it looks like they're setting up some sort of device."_

_"Get in here, Sideswipe. Now."_

Ari reaches under her shirt for her Autobot pendant, a device that acts as a panic button and radio connecting her to the Autobots. She pushes the red button, signaling to all of the Autobots that she is in very big trouble and needs help right fragging now. Sunstreaker is nearby, patrolling the city, and will hopefully be with them soon.

In the meantime, Ari focuses on the problem at hand—staying alive and figuring out why they're here.

"Pepper," she says, keeping her voice even without a thread of panic, "I need you to stay calm, but it looks like there are Chitauri on the roof."

"On the roof?" Pepper asks incredulously. "Why would Chitauri be on the roof? They were all killed and besides, if _anyone_ was on the roof security would have raised the alarm and-"

A blaring siren pierces the air, emergency lights lowering from hidden panels in the ceiling and bathing the walls in red.

A man in a suit bursts through the door, gun held in his hand at the ready. His rounded face looks worried, eyes automatically locking on Pepper.

"Happy, what is going on?" Pepper yells over the sound of the siren, standing from her seat.

"We have a breach," Happy yells back, briskly walking to Pepper and taking her elbow. "Aliens. It looks like those freaky reptile things from New York. They materialized right on the roof and there are more of them downstairs blocking off all the exits. We need to get you in the safe room."

Pepper plants her feet. "Ari too."

"That goes against protocol," he says with exasperation.

"I don't care! She's coming with."

"No, not until we know what we're dealing with!"

" _Ari, we have a problem,"_ Sideswipe says, voice sounding tight inside her head.

" _What is it?"_

" _I can't get inside."_

Ari blinks in surprise. _"What do you mean?"_

" _There's some kind of force field around the building. My sensors can't identify the energy signature but whatever it is, it's not letting me through. It feels like I'm hitting a wall."_

" _What about your holoform? Can you materialize right inside?"_

" _No. I tried but it's like the barrier shorts it out."_

" _Fraggit. It must be that device they set up on the roof."_

" _I don't like this, Ari."_

" _I don't either. I'll see what I can do."_

" _Be careful."_

" _I will."_

"We have a problem," Ari says aloud, interrupting the argument Happy and Pepper are still in the middle of.

"What now?" Happy asks.

"Sideswipe, an Autobot, he's right outside but he can't get in. The Chitauri set up a device on the roof and it's blocking him somehow."

"Does that mean they knew you'd be here?" Pepper asks, not sounding accusing but worried.

Happy shakes his head, thankfully not asking how she got her information. "Not necessarily. It could just be that they're blocking _any_ help from getting inside."

"All the more reason she should come with me in the safe room. I won't let her get hurt, Happy, not if there's something I can do about it."

Happy hesitates, eyes boring into Ari with uncertainty, but then he nods. "Fine."

He draws Pepper over behind her desk and places his palm flat on the wall. Something beeps, barely noticeable over the sirens, and a section of wall slides away to reveal a doorway. Pepper steps forward to enter but Ari doesn't move.

Happy holds out a hand to her. "Ms. Lennox, come on."

"No," she says. "Someone needs to go to the roof and destroy the device so Sideswipe can get inside."

"With all due respect, Ms. Lennox, but there are no Decepticons. These are just a bunch of freaks that are just as easy to kill as humans. We did it before in New York. Me and my men can handle it."

"But-"

"It's okay, Ari," Pepper says. "We have the best security teams in the world. If Happy says he can handle it, he can. You'll be safe."

Ari fights with herself. She doesn't like to be the damsel in distress. She wants to help, wants to fight, has never sat out of a battle, ever. But this battle may not even be about her. Yes, this isn't good, but Sideswipe's help may not even be needed, nor her help for that matter. She could sit this one out and everything be fine. The Chitauri having something that can keep Sideswipe out, it could just be a coincidence.

But she doesn't know. She just doesn't know.

But she does know one thing—if this isn't about her, then the only other logical explanation for why they're here is Pepper.

"Alright," Ari says, following Pepper into the safe room. Happy closes the door behind her, sealing the two of them in and cutting off the sound of the alarm.

Bright lights automatically blink on, illuminating a small room no more than ten feet by ten feet. There's a couch and a large T.V. across from it on the wall, along with a storage closet that probably holds supplies. The walls are some kind of metal, something sturdy, impenetrable. This room is made to last…anything.

Pepper falls on the couch with a heavy sigh. After a moment Ari joins her, sitting down with a matching sigh. Who knows how long they'll be sitting in here. All she can do is wait.

" _You're making the right decision, sweetspark,"_ Sideswipe tells her. _"You keep each other safe until the others get here and we can figure out a way to help you."_

" _I don't like it, Sides. I hate just waiting."_

" _I know you do. But right now, it's the only option."_

"How long have you been married for?" Pepper suddenly asks.

Ari looks up then down at her hands, realizing she's been twisting her engagement ring and wedding band around on her finger. She smiles softly. "Two and a half years now."

"Wow, so not too long."

"No, but we've known each other for about five years."

"So you met back in high school then, right?"

"Yeah. We've been on this long and crazy ride together from the start. We've fought together side by side through every single battle. That's why this is so hard. I want to fight, to get back to him, but here I am sitting on my hands, waiting."

Pepper smiles ruefully. "I know what that's like. I've always worried about Tony, even before he became Iron Man, though before was certainly a lot easier. Before, I just worried that he'd take the drinking too far. Waiting was hard but it's a lot harder now. Now, I have to worry about him getting shot or blown up or his suit failing him. And then he and I got together as a couple and…."

"It's hard to watch him go off to battle while leaving you behind," Ari says knowingly. "That's why I underwent N.E.S.T. training. I became a trained soldier so I could fight beside my husband."

"I wish I could do that, but I don't think Tony would ever let me. That's why he built me this place, and others like it, so that I wouldn't have to. But that doesn't mean waiting is all I can do."

"What do you mean?"

Pepper smirks, raising her voice, "Jarvis?"

"What can I do for you, Ms. Potts?" a man says with a distinct British accent from seemingly everywhere and nowhere.

"Who was that?" Ari asks warily, eying the room for possible hiding places even though that's slim to none.

"That would be Jarvis," Pepper says, holding in a laugh. "He's an artificial intelligence Tony developed back in his college years. He manages all of Tony's systems, from his houses to the Iron Man suits."

"Including this room."

"Precisely. Tony has him connected to all my safe rooms so that I can stay connected in case of emergencies."

"So what can he do?" Ari asks, noting how Pepper uses male pronouns to describe Jarvis instead of just using "it". She treats him as more of a person than a computer, which Ari finds quite admirable.

"I have many functions, Ms. Lennox," Jarvis answers primly, showing far more emotion than what Ari would think an A.I. capable of. "But I believe what would be of most help to you right now would be the security feeds for the building?"

"Up on the monitor, if you please," Pepper says.

The T.V. on the wall turns on by itself, six feeds from security cameras splitting the screen. The feeds change every couple of seconds, rotating between what looks like dozens of cameras spread all throughout Stark Industries. They're showing hallways filled with people running and screaming, but they mostly look okay. For now.

Ari whistles lowly, standing from her seat and crossing the room for a closer look. "That is quite impressive."

"Thank you, Ms. Lennox," Jarvis says with a bit of pride in his voice. "The security teams have begun leading people to the bunker located in the basement of the building, though progress is slow."

"And the Chitauri?" Pepper asks, joining Ari in front of the screen.

A single security feed fills the screen showing a vantage point with a clear view of the entire lobby. It looks like a war zone. Glass and rubble litter the floor, there's holes in the walls, and lights flash from gunfire.

And a dozen Chitauri have pushed their way through the entrance, taking whatever cover they can while they face off against the security team. This security camera is a lot less blurry than most of the footage that came out of New York, so Ari is getting a lot better view of what these aliens look like. They're about average human height with a strong build and pale, almost gray skin. They're wearing some kind of armor, the helmets including a faceplate that covers the entire face, but she knows that they look kind of reptilian underneath.

They carry guns, long and thin, that fire off some kind of bluish-purple energy that blasts through anything it hits.

The Chitauri and security team are evenly matched in number but the security team is definitely outgunned. Even as Ari watches, she can see the security team losing ground and losing numbers, their bodies joining those of the civilians on the floor who were unfortunate enough to get caught up in the initial assault.

"Your men can't handle this," Ari whispers.

"So it would seem," Jarvis says, sounding almost grave. "Mr. Stark is on his way in an Iron Man suit but his E.T.A. is still twenty minutes."

The screen changes again, showing another team of Chitauri climbing the stairs two-by-two. They find the floor they want and enter, filing into the hallway.

"Where are they headed, Jarvis?" Pepper asks, trying to stay brave but Ari can hear the tremble in the words.

"By my calculations, they will arrive at your office in thirty seconds."

The feed changes to a camera that looks like it must be attached to the other side of the safe room door, almost like a peephole. They can see the back of Pepper's desk, most of the room, and through the glass wall they can see the waiting area outside the office. Ari waits with held breath but she's not really surprised when the Chitauri come into view, entering the office and stopping.

What does surprise her is when one of them comes right to the safe room door looking dead at the camera.

"H-How?" Pepper asks, frazzled. "How do they know where we are?"

"I don't know," Ari says, "but these are aliens we're talking about. They probably have some sort of scanner."

A second Chitauri has joined the first, attaching something to the wall. When it doesn't explode immediately, Ari assumes they're trying to hack their way in.

Thinking quickly, Ari goes to the couch, dragging it across the floor and tilting it on its back as far from the door as possible to act as cover. She takes a distraught Pepper by the hand and sits her down behind it, kneeling down to look the woman in the eye.

"You stay here, you understand me?" Ari says firmly.

"What?" Pepper says, surprised and confused. "You don't really think they'll get in here, do you?"

"They're aliens with more advanced technology than us so, yes, I think they're going to get in here." Ari stands, shedding her suit jacket and stepping out of her shoes so her feet are bare. "And when they do, you keep your head down."

"What are you going to do?"

She rolls up the sleeves of her white collared shirt and unbuttons the top few buttons, shooting Pepper a smile she hopes is reassuring. "I'm going to do whatever it takes. I'm just glad I decided to wear pants today. Do you have any idea how hard it is to fight in a pencil skirt?"

Pepper doesn't answer, just stares at her with rounded eyes, and Ari turns to face the door. She laments the absence of her gun for a moment, picturing it inside her dresser drawer, before pressing the blue jewel on each of her silver bangles. The metal bracelets constrict on both her wrists, fitting snuggly now, and then knives extend a foot long.

A gun would be nice but it's not necessary. She's always felt more comfortable fighting with these knives anyway.

"Ms-Ms. Potts?" Jarvis says, voice broken, choppy. "I-It appears my syst-tems are being o-overwritten."

Ari quickly moves to press her back against the wall next to the door. There's a loud clank as it unlocks and then the door swings open into the room.

She stays hidden by the large door as three Chitauri enter, guns held firmly as they scan the area. The room is pretty scarce. One of them goes to the storage closet as the other two approach the couch, and that's when Ari moves.

She goes to the one closest to her, the alien at the closet, stabbing him in the side before he even sees her. He drops to the ground and the other two turn towards her, but she doesn't give them a chance to fire their guns. She darts forward, inside their reach, stabbing one in the stomach and the other in the neck, going for gaps in the armor.

There's a strange high-pitched sound, like a cry of alarm, and Ari faces the door, ready for more.

The doorway is small, allowing only one person in at a time, and Ari uses the bottleneck to her advantage. She manages to drop one right in the doorway before the one right behind him starts firing. She spins out of the way, back to the wall again. When the Chitauri enters she grabs his arm and gun, pulling him to arch around her and slamming him into the wall next to her.

She eyes the singed holes in the back wall above the couch before making her next move, ducking and rolling out of the safe room and into the office.

There are three sets of feet around her and she slashes at their legs. They fall, crying out, but she cuts them off before they even hit the floor. The next two try to rush her, cornering her between them, but she lashes out with a swift kick to one's groin—thankfully working on aliens as well as it does on humans—and a sharp knife to the other's chest before spinning to finish the first one off.

The last two fire at her from across the room and she ducks behind the desk, something stinging across her shoulder but she ignores it. She grabs one of the fallen guns. It seems to be simple enough to use with something that looks distinctly like a trigger so she pops out around the corner of the desk and fires in quick procession.

The two Chitauri fall with identical thuds and then there's silence. Someone must have shut off the alarm because there's nothing besides her heavy breathing.

After taking a centering breath she stands, dropping the gun and returning to Pepper.

"Is it over?" Pepper asks, head peeking out above the couch.

Ari gives her another smile. "Yeah, it's over."

"Oh, my god," Pepper says, eyes wide and hand reaching for Ari's shoulder. "You're bleeding."

Ari shrugs without even looking. "It's nothing. Just a graze." She then pulls Pepper to her feet. "Come on. We need to get out of here. There'll be more where that came from."

* * *

Ari takes point with one of the alien guns, Pepper staying right behind her as they move through the hallways. There are Primus knows how many Chitauri in the building and there's no telling where they are. They can't risk just holing up in an office, though. Too easy to get cornered, way too easy to get outnumbered, and Ari might not be able to defeat all of them mostly unscathed next time.

So they go for the roof, because the only way any of them are getting out of here alive is with some serious help.

Unfortunately, according to Pepper, roof access is on the exact opposite side of the building and the elevators don't seem to be working.

They take the stairs up a little ways, entering a random floor in the hopes that there won't be any aliens looking for them there if it isn't the lobby or executive floor. They move through the halls, heading towards the far staircase. It'll take them right up to the roof.

They're halfway there when they run into the bodies.

Three Chitauri, lying dead on the floor. They must be splitting up to search for them and these guys ran into some trouble.

"Who killed them?" Pepper asks, surprisingly steady but keeping a careful distance. Ari wonders if today isn't the first time she's seen dead bodies. Though aliens are certainly a bit different than humans.

"Not sure." Ari approaches one of the bodies carefully, gun raised just in case it's a trap. She pushes at the body with her toes so he turns over on his back.

There's an arrow protruding from his chest, penetrating right through a weak spot in the armor. The shaft is broken from when he fell forwards and Ari snatches it up, studying it closely.

She'd know that fletching anywhere.

"Hawkeye," Ari says with a grin.

But her grin falls when she hears stomping footfalls headed their way.

"Run!" Ari says, shoving Pepper in the opposite direction just as five Chitauri round the corner at the end of the hallway. Ari opens fire on them, dropping three before her gun clicks.

Out of ammo.

She drops the gun and runs after Pepper, shouting, "Hawkeye!"

Energy blasts fly past her head and she turns the corner, Pepper just feet in front of her.

"Hawkeye!"

She's not sure where Pepper is headed—not sure if she even has a destination in mind—but Ari runs after her, turning as many corners as they can so the aliens chasing them can't get off too many shots.

"Hawkeye!"

More Chitauri appear around the corner straight ahead of them and Pepper veers right down another hallway.

Right into a dead end.

"No, no, no, no..." Pepper whispers, backing up, but there are footsteps coming their way. There is no turning back.

Ari yanks on a few doors until she finds one that opens, someone's office, and she shoves Pepper inside. "Lock the door. Don't open it for anyone other than me, got it?"

"But-"

Ari closes the door on Pepper's terrified face, hoping she can buy them enough time.

But when eighteen Chitauri spill into the mouth of the hallway Ari can feel her hope plummet a little.

She doesn't back down, though. She steps forward, fists clenched. When they don't shoot her right away she smirks. She's not going down without a fight.

The first three who try to take her fall within a few seconds. Then they try to rush her all at once. Her vision—her entire mind—tunnels after that, focusing on the next slice, the next kick, doing everything within her power to stay alive, to keep going. She can feel Sideswipe along their bond, worried and frustrated as he's forced to sit outside, but he's not doing nothing. He's bolstering her up, feeding her energy and determination to keep fighting, but there are so many of them...so many of them.

One of the aliens hits her in the back of the head and she falls to the floor, seeing stars. He raises the butt of his gun to hit her.

Only for an arrow to pierce through his neck.

Ari grins, finding the energy to get back to her feet. She wants to lay eyes on the archer but she forces herself to focus on the task at hand, fighting the aliens in front of her as others fall to arrows around her.

Never does she worry about getting hit with an arrow. Hawkeye is too good for that.

When the dust settles again Ari is standing in the middle of eighteen bodies, sweat making her hair cling to her face. She carefully retracts her knives by pressing the blue jewels again and then turns, letting out a relieved sigh when she sees Clint Barton at the end of the hallway shouldering his bow. He opens his arms and she runs to him, the two of them colliding together in a hug.

"Are you alright, kiddo?" he asks, strong arms wrapping around her and making her feel safe for the first time since the Chitauri showed up outside the safe room.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she says into the tactical vest of his Hawkeye uniform, breathing in the smell of leather deeply into her nose before pulling away. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to the nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. facility when the call came in about the Chitauri, so I parked the quinjet and snuck in."

"Did you see Sideswipe on the way in?" Ari asks, making her way back to the room she stashed Pepper in, Clint following along behind.

"Yeah, I'm actually surprised he hasn't stormed the place already. What gives?"

"The Chitauri set up some sort of force field device up on the roof. It's keeping him from getting inside." Ari stops in her tracks, spinning around to face him as something hits her. "Wait a minute, how did you get in?"

Clint shrugs. "I just walked right on in. S.H.I.E.L.D. teams are setting up downstairs in the parking lot and are about to come in, too."

Ari fidgets with her rings again, foreboding feeling like rocks in her stomach. "Meaning that device was meant to only keep Cybertronians out. They knew Sideswipe would be here."

"Does that mean they're after you?"

"I'm not sure. It's not like I'm the only high-value target here."

Ari opens the office door, revealing Pepper pacing the room inside. When she sees Ari her shoulders slump. "I thought for sure you wouldn't make it this time," she says.

"Yeah, well, I had a bit of help." Ari opens the door further so Pepper can see Clint standing next to her.

Pepper's eyes widen. "I know you. You're Agent Barton, from S.H.I.E.L.D., right? You fought with Tony in New York."

"That would be me." Clint holds out his hand for Pepper to shake. "My friends call me Clint. And you must be Pepper Potts."

"Pepper, please," she replies with a tired smile.

"So, you ladies ready to get out of here?"

"That would be fantastic."

"What about the Chitauri?" Ari asks.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have already started cleaning house and there's no sign that more Chitauri are coming. Don't worry. They can handle it. Let's just get you two somewhere safe."

Deciding to just take his word for it, Ari nods, following Clint out of the building. Her job is done for now.

But she has a feeling that all of this is far from over. It's only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the Chitauri are back and we don't know who they're after. Are they after Pepper? Are they after Ari? In either case, why?
> 
> You're just going to have to wait to find out.
> 
> And we have Clint Barton aka Hawkeye making a grand entrance, rescue, and epic return. That's one Avenger down, five more to go. They'll be showing up in short order. Starting with, next chapter, a certain billionaire. When that chapter will be, I'm not entirely sure, but it won't be any later than a month from now, scout's honor! (And I was a Girl Scout)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	2. Two Worlds Collide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone. It's nice to hear from you all again. Didn't realize how much I missed it until I started getting those reviews again.
> 
> Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I know I'm still within my promised time but I still had hoped I could do it earlier. It's been a really slaggy month though. Life seems to like kicking me when I'm down right now.
> 
> Anywho, this chapter, as you can tell by the word count, is really long because it goes over a lot of things and I had a hard time finding a good stopping point. But this is where we get further into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with meeting our next Avenger. I'm sure you can guess which one. There's also some backstory as well. I tried to explain things about the MCU without making it boring for people who already know it. But, I figured the explanations aren't out of place since Ari herself doesn't know a lot of this stuff anyway.
> 
> So, go onward and enjoy!

S.H.I.E.L.D. has at least a one-mile radius blocked off around the building, keeping onlookers back, so when Ari gets outside she doesn't hesitate to run straight to Sideswipe. He's already standing in his bipedal form waiting for her, towering over everyone else. As soon as she's close he scoops her up off her feet, cradling her to his chassis with one hand gently cupping the back of her head.

Ari buries her face in the crook of his neck, feeling all of her tension and anxiety leave her body like melting snow.

She's completely safe now. She is with her husband, her sparkmate, her soulmate, her best friend. Nothing can get her here.

"Are you okay?" Sideswipe asks, his presence curling around her inside her head like a second hug. "I felt you get hurt earlier."

"Just a graze," she mumbles softly, unwilling to move. "It's already healed. Accelerated healing does have its perks. Where's Sunstreaker?"

"Helping keep the perimeter with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents now that the fun is over, but he's keeping his scanners running looking for anymore aliens."

They don't say anything else for a while after that, content in the knowledge that they're both safe now, but when an unidentifiable roar builds in the air like a jet engine Ari's head perks up.

A shining speck grows steadily larger and larger in the blue sky, shining as bright as a firefly in the deepest part of the forest. Ari squints, trying to make it out, and after a few minutes of watching she realizes that it's not a jet. It's a man.

Iron Man touches down on the asphalt with a solid clang, striking that dramatic pose she's seen on T.V. dozens of times—kneeling down on one knee, head down and fist to the ground.

The Iron Man suit is like a suit of mechanical armor, completely encasing him in metal painted red and gold. It doesn't look like much up close but she knows that there are a lot of tricks up its' sleeves, hidden compartments with weapons just ready to be fired at its' pilot's command.

As soon as he stands the suit opens up and Tony Stark steps out, going right towards Pepper who's already running towards him. They come together in a desperate hug that somehow holds such a deep intimacy that Ari looks away.

She knows what that feels like, that overwhelming need to feel with her own hands that Sideswipe is safe and here and that she is too. She gives them that moment, closing her eyes and enjoying her own.

"Hey, kid, get down here, would you?" a voice calls up a couple minutes later, making Ari look down again. Tony Stark stands at Sideswipe's feet looking up at her, arm wrapped around Pepper's waist. There's a bulky red and gold briefcase down at his feet—his Iron Man armor folded down for easy transportation.

He's really put together for someone who almost lost his girlfriend. His expensive Armani suite is only slightly rumpled from being in the Iron Man armor, though his dark brown hair is all over the place. There's a smirk in the middle of his goatee like standing at the feet of a gigantic alien is nothing to him.

"C'mon, kid, I don't have all day," he calls out again.

Now this is a guy who's used to getting what he wants. She wonders how much of the bravado is a mask.

"And if I don't want to?" she says, snuggling closer to Sideswipe.

She swears he's _this close_ to tapping his foot in impatience. Ari holds in a laugh.

"Would you just-"

Pepper lays a hand on Stark's chest to silence him, giving him a pointed glare. It also brings Ari's attention to the circle of light on his chest, glowing through his dress shirt. It's barely discernable in the sunlight but Ari recognizes it from the tabloids—the arc reactor. It's one of the cleanest and most powerful energy sources ever created. There's a larger version of it powering Stark Industries, but this mini version powers a magnetic field that's keeping missile shrapnel embedded in Stark's chest from digging further and further down through his flesh, keeping the metal from reaching his heart and killing him.

It's a grim burden, but one's he's learned to bear, using the arc reactor to power his Iron Man suites as well.

"What Tony is _trying_ to say," Pepper says, "is that he would like you to come down so that he can thank you for saving my life but, you know, on even ground."

Ari fights off a smile, measuring Stark with her eyes. He's five foot six, tops. This is definitely a shortness thing, at the very least.

Stark rolls his eyes, playing it cool. "Yeah, right, what she said. Would you just get down here already?"

Ari does laugh now but she takes pity on him, nudging Sideswipe through their bond to kneel down. He does, though he doesn't set her down yet.

Stark sighs dramatically, pulling his three hundred dollar sunglasses off his face. "Look, could you get your boy toy to let you go? I just want to talk for a sec."

"Hey," Ari snaps, not taking kind to that. She slides down from Sideswipe's grasp and approaches Stark with ire flowing through her veins. "Watch it. That's an actual person you're referring to there. You will treat him as such, and with the kindness and respect he deserves."

"Yeah, I don't really treat anyone like that, squirt."

She raises a brow. He's really not that much taller than her. "That's not what I hear. So how about you cut the act, unless you really don't want the chance to get your hands on some Cybertronian tech?"

Stark rocks back on his heels, looking her up and down before nodding in satisfaction with a smirk. "I like you." He sticks his hand out to shake. "Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Pepper jabs him in the side with her elbow and he instantly amends, "Ex-playboy."

Ari shakes his hand dubiously. Little fragger was playing with her. She can't help but return his smirk, though. "Ari Lennox. Autobot Ambassador. You're the keep your friends close and your enemies closer kind of guy, aren't you."

He shrugs casually. "Easier to find out who your real friends are."

"A short list I imagine."

"For someone like me? Yes."

"Hopefully we'll be able to join that list."

"We'll see." He looks up at Sideswipe, trying to keep that smirk on his face, but she can see the tension in his shoulders and the way he holds Pepper just a little bit closer. "And you're Sideswipe. I remember you from that little coming out speech in D.C. a few years ago. Very impressive. I definitely approve the theatrics."

"I'm not surprised that you do," Sideswipe says, unsure of what to make of him and Ari really can't blame him.

"Speaking of theatrics, you transform into cars? Really? How do you even get your bodies to condense into such a smaller size?"

"It's really not that hard. We scan a machine to figure out how it works and then we just mimic the machinery. Though, yeah, we do have to stick to certain sizes. I mean, Optimus would never be able to change into a motorcycle. Unless it was a very big motorcycle."

"Yeah, but what about-"

"I thought you were coming over here to thank them, Stark," Clint says, stepping out of the crowd—made up of agents, emergency responders, and S.I. employees that have begun to funnel out of the building from the basement—to stand beside Ari, "not talk their ears off."

"I'm getting to it, birdbrain, but there's science to be discovered and questions to be asked!"

"Do it later. All the Chitauri are dead and Fury wants to meet us at the California S.H.I.E.L.D. office. Now thank her so we can get out of here."

"How many offices does S.H.I.E.L.D. even have?" Ari wonders aloud.

Clint grins. "That's classified."

"I bet I could find out," Stark says confidently.

"I'm sure you could, Stark. Now hurry up and let's get going."

"Fine, fine." Stark turns to Ari, hand placed over his heart dramatically. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving one Pepper Potts, the light of my life. You have my sincerest gratitude. Seriously, I owe you one."

Pepper sighs but Ari chuckles. Despite the sarcasm, there really is sincerity in his eyes. "Not a problem, Mr. Stark. Let's just say it's repayment for letting us use your beach."

"Wait, that was you? I thought-"

"We can discuss this later, Tony," Pepper says, turning to Clint. "You said we have places to be?"

"Right this way." Clint leads them through the crowd further out into the parking lot. Sideswipe rolls along on his wheels behind them, careful not to accidentally run anyone over.

Not much of a problem since Stark insists on yelling, "Wide load, coming through!"

This time, all four of them sigh.

Clint takes them to a quinjet parked near the entrance of the parking lot. It's different than the one Ari and Sideswipe used during their honeymoon. This one is larger, with bigger wings and a fatter cargo hold looking like it can hold more people.

"Are all of us going to fit in there?" Stark asks, eyeing Sideswipe doubtfully.

By way of answer Sideswipe transforms, folding and condensing down into his alt mode, a 2009 Corvette Stingray in sleek silver.

Stark looks Sideswipe over in appreciation. "Now _that_ is a nice car. Why the 2009 though? They've come out with newer models since then."

"Sure, he could scan a new alt mode if he wanted to," Ari says as Sideswipe opens his door for her. She shoots Stark a wink. "But he keeps it because I like it."

She then slips into the seat behind Sideswipe's steering wheel, the door closing on Stark's gobsmacked face.

"You could have sat with the rest of them, you know," Sideswipe says once everyone is aboard the quinjet, Stark and Pepper taking seats in one of the wings—which turn out to be hollow to allow more room—and Clint on the stick flying. Sideswipe is parked snuggly in the main belly of the quinjet, still not a whole lot of room on either side despite the quinjet being bigger.

Ari looks over at Sideswipe's holoform, now sitting in the passenger's seat. He looks just like the day she met him, with tan skin, dark, wavy hair that curls around his ears, and the brightest blue eyes she has ever seen. She smiles, taking his hand across the center counsel. "I know, but I wanted to stay with you."

"Come here." He tugs on her hand and Ari crawls over the center counsel to curl up on his lap. His arms wrap around her, holding her close, and she tucks her head beneath his chin.

She can feel the hum of his spark in his chest in place of a heartbeat and she hums in contentment.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks, carding his fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Worried about the future, but okay."

His arms tighten around her. "Why do you think the Chitauri showed up?"

"I don't know. But maybe Fury will have some answers."

* * *

It doesn't take long to get to the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, especially in the quinjet. This one is set up on the outskirts of L.A., designed to look like a weapons testing facility in order to keep civilians out. The quinjet comes in fully cloaked and lands in the airfield next to dozens of other quinjets, planes, and vehicles.

It's all fields and grasslands out here, reminding Ari of Tranquility, and she feels a little homesick for a moment. It's been months since she's been home to the farmhouse, since she's seen Sarah and Annabelle—her mom and sister. Annie is growing fast at five years old now, going on six. And her dad, Will, even though he's the head of N.E.S.T. she still hasn't seen him in almost just as long.

She was looking forward to going home soon, but it looks like she won't be able to yet. There's a storm coming, she can feel it in her bones, and she needs to be here to face whatever it is.

The ramp opens and Sideswipe backs out of the quinjet with Stark, Pepper, and Clint exiting after them. As soon as they're clear Sideswipe transforms, Ari moving with him, his shifting parts moving her upward so that she ends up on his shoulder.

Ari looks down at her bare feet, knocking her heels against Sideswipe's chassis lightly, and frowns. "I just realized I left my shoes at Stark Industries. My jacket and briefcase too."

"I'll have an agent collect them for you," a voice says. Director Nick Fury walks towards them across the tarmac, wearing black clothes and his leather trench coat just like every other time Ari's seen him. How can he not be hot in a getup like that? Or maybe he likes the fact that the outfit along with his eyepatch makes him look like a space pirate?

Though she'd never tell him that to his face.

"Hello, Nick," Ari says, getting Sideswipe to set her down on the tarmac. The asphalt is rough on her feet but she pays it no mind, lifting her chin and keeping her composure professional despite her disheveled appearance. "Long time no see."

"That it has, though I'd prefer we met under better circumstances. You always seem to be in some sort of trouble."

"Well, at least this time I didn't start it."

"No, but you may be in the middle of it. Do we know for certain who the target was?"

"No, sir," Clint says, stepping forward. It's always weird seeing him act professional. Ari's more used to him goofing off. "The Chitauri definitely attacked the safe room specifically but they could have been after either Ari or Pepper."

"I'm sorry, but how do you two know each other?" Stark asks, looking between Ari and Fury suspiciously. "And why does she get to call you Nick and I don't?"

"Ari has been involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. since the Autobots first landed on Earth and the two of us met not long after New York. Either way, why do you care? You call me Nick whether I want you to or not."

Stark shrugs with that cocky grin of his that seems to be a mostly permanent fixture on his face. "Guess I really don't. So are we going to get down to business or what?"

"For some reason, Stark, I can't imagine you being anything even close to resembling business-like. But yeah, let's go." Fury walks off before Stark can come up with a comeback, leaving him with no choice but to follow, everyone else following along behind him.

They don't even get three feet before hearing an angry rev from somewhere near the front entrance gate. Fury stops, pressing a finger to his ear—listening to something being said in an ear comm Ari guesses—and then turns to Sideswipe with a raised brow. "How is Sunstreaker somehow at the front gate of a _secret_ government facility?"

Sideswipe just shrugs helplessly. "What? He was with us when we went to Stark Industries. After what happened, it's not like he was gonna stay behind."

"But how did he know where we are?"

"Sibling bond. Duh."

Fury sighs deeply but then presses his finger to his comm again and says, "Let the vehicle in. He's a friendly."

There's another loud rev and then in just a few seconds Sunstreaker joins them, transforming from his bright yellow Lamborghini Gallardo alt mode to stand in his bipedal form, optics darting back and forth between Sideswipe and Ari. "Are you guys okay?"

Ari tries for a smile but feels like she doesn't quite make it. "Oh, I'm just getting chased by aliens. So, you know, same as usual."

"I thought you were done with all that, Squishy. What gives?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Fury says in frustration. "So can we please get on with it?"

Sunstreaker nods in a rare occurrence of silence and the group continues on towards the group of buildings that make up the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility.

Fury tells them about the base as they move, because Stark is nosy like that and doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. This base isn't for weapons manufacturing, obviously. That's just the cover. It's more like a base for wayward agents, those who need a pit stop going from one mission to the next. It also houses reserves of agents in case any nearby missions go south so that help isn't too far away. That's why, even though there's a ton of activity around the base, most of the agents aren't in suits. They're either in civilian clothes necessary for missions or in tactical gear.

It's definitely a bit different than any of the N.E.S.T. bases Ari's been to but also strangely familiar at the same time.

Fury leads them into the largest of the buildings and pauses just outside, looking up at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker questioningly. The two of them are quick to transform back into their alt modes and turn on their holoforms. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker look exactly the same like the twins they are except Sunstreaker's hair is cut short and slicked back.

Stark eyes the two of them curiously. "What are those, holographic projections?"

"Close," Sideswipe says, taking Ari's hand and squeezing to show that he can touch. "They're called holoforms. They're projections of ourselves as another species to help us blend in, but they're solid, not holograms."

"Seriously? They're solid on a molecular level? How-"

"Enough, Stark," Fury snaps, somehow doing a very impressive glare with only one eye. Pepper adds to it and between the two of them they usher an indignant Stark into the building.

They enter a sort of lobby area, though it's more just a room that branches off into several hallways with a bank of elevators to the left. Fury takes them to the elevators, presses one of the many unlabeled buttons, and they ascend a couple of floors. When the elevator doors open Fury leads them down a series of nondescript hallways until he stops at a set of double doors.

It's a conference room with plain beige walls, a long glass table lined with chairs all around it, and a large flatscreen T.V. embedded in the wall behind the chair at the head of the table. Everyone takes seats around the table, Fury taking the head and Stark sprawling in a seat about halfway down.

"So, what do we know for certain?" Fury asks, getting right to the point.

"The Chitauri materialized out of thin air," Sideswipe says, keeping ahold of Ari's hand under the table. "It wasn't a portal really. One minute my scanners were going off because of some weird energy signature, and the next there they were, like they apparated or something."

Stark snorts. "You've seen _Harry Potter_?"

Sunstreaker shrugs. "The books were better, but yeah."

Stark blinks in surprise. "Right. Aliens are bookworms. Go figure." Pepper elbows him in the side and he straightens a little. "So if there was no portal does that mean it wasn't the Tesseract?"

"What's the Tesseract?" Ari asks.

"That's classified," Fury says firmly and Ari narrows her eyes at him.

"Don't talk to me about classified, Nick. These guys attacked me too. I'll find out on my own if I have to."

He knows she can find out whether he wants her to or not, because of the AllSpark. He stares at her, gaging how serious she is, and after a tense moment he relents. "Very well. The Tesseract is an object of unknown origin, a glowing cube with immense power that can create portals a lot like the Space Bridge in Chicago. It's what led to the Battle of New York."

Ari leans back in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leveling the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. with a look she learned from a trained assassin. "You tell me everything, Nick. From the beginning. I need to know everything it is we're dealing with if you want us to help."

There's another tense moment. And then another nod.

"Oh, come on!" Stark grouses, waving his arms around. "How come it's so easy for her to push you into talking?"

"Because I've got a few Aces in my pocket," Ari says smugly, "including a bunch of giant aliens who consider me family."

"You've gotta admit, Stark," Clint says with a chuckle, "that's a bit more intimidating than you."

Stark narrows his eyes at her, pursing his lips. "I don't know if I'm more annoyed or impressed."

"Stick with impressed. It's safer."

"What, because of the aliens in the room?"

"No, because Natasha helped train her."

Stark's eyes turn wide and Ari grins. She can't wait to tell Natasha about this. But first, story time. "So, tell me about New York."

"It requires a lot of backstory," Fury says with a tired sigh, leaning back in his chair.

"Just start at the beginning."

"Alright, but Stark," he levels a glare at the billionaire, "I know you've heard most of this already but you _will_ keep your mouth shut, or I'll pull out some of your dirty laundry for the world to see."

Stark rolls his eyes in disinterest. "Please, do you know how many embarrassing and disgraceful things I've done in my life? And most of them have been caught on camera by one media outlet or another. There isn't possibly anything you have on me that I'd be afraid of."

Fury grins, ever so slightly, but it's a shark's grin. "Paris, summer of 1998."

Stark visibly pales before nodding rapidly and moving his hand across his mouth like he's zippening his lips closed.

Ari is instantly curious—Pepper is too by the looks of it—but she refrains from asking.

Only because she is so using the AllSpark to find out later anyway.

"Perfect," Fury says, satisfied that there won't be any interruptions. "So, the beginning. That would probably be New Mexico with Thor."

"Thor, as in the god of thunder from Norse mythology?" Sunny asks.

"More like the alien who originally inspired the myth."

"So all of Norse mythology, it's based on aliens?"

"From what I've gathered, yes. Thor and his people came to Earth, or Midgard as they call it, thousands of years ago. Because of their advanced technology, humans thought and treated them as gods. At one point in time they left, returning back to their home planet of Asgard. But just a few years ago, Thor came back.

"No one knew who he was at first. He just appeared out in the desert one night, in the middle of a dust storm. The area was known for having unusual storms, storms that were reportedly dust devils lit up like a Christmas tree, and there was a scientist looking into them. Dr. Jane Foster, an astrophysicist, thought they were connected to a phenomenon known as an Einstein-Rosen Bridge."

"An Einstein-Rosen Bridge-" Stark begins to explain but Ari cuts him off.

"Is basically a bridge across space that could essentially be used to travel from one planet to another. Yeah, I know."

Stark snaps his mouth shut in surprise and Fury goes on before he can open it again.

"Dr. Foster, her colleague Dr. Eric Selvig, and her college intern Darcy Lewis were out in the desert looking into the bridge when a dust storm filled with rainbow-colored lights appeared. They drove into the storm and found Thor.

"Suffice it to say, they didn't believe him when he said he was Thor, a mythical being. But around the same time, an object landed in another area of the New Mexican desert, an object that appeared to be a hammer."

"The hammer Mjolnir the god Thor is said to wield," Ari says.

"Exactly. And no one could move it no matter how hard they tried, like some sort of Excalibur. We found it suspicious to say the least, but when Thor arrived trying to reclaim his hammer, he couldn't move it either. He became distraught, which didn't seem to be an act, so we let him go to see what would happen."

"And let me guess. Something happened."

Fury nods. "Something big, and metal, and could shoot a huge lazer beam out of its head."

Ari sits in stunned silence for a moment before saying, "Are you sure you're not talking about a Decepticon there?"

"Apparently, it's called the Destroyer, an Asgardian death bot I guess you can say. It appeared right after a couple of Thor's friends showed up on Dr. Foster's doorstep looking for him. They traveled to Earth using the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, or the Bifrost as they call it, wanting to bring Thor home. But something followed them through. The Destroyer nearly leveled the small town they were in trying to get to Thor. It succeeded, too. Thor faced it on his own and died. But then he didn't.

"As ridiculous as it sounds, the hammer flew through the air towards him and…gave him his power back. Magic is apparently a thing in Asgard and Thor had been blocked from using his. With the hammer back, he was able to defeat the Destroyer and return home."

"But what landed him there in the first place?" Ari asks, ignoring for now the fact that magic may just be real. Sort of. Maybe. A girl can hope, at least. "And why was he powerless?"

"We learned most of this after the fact from Dr. Foster and a little bit from Thor when he returned shortly before New York happened. Thor was banished from Asgard by Odin, the king and his father, for doing something extremely stupid that got people killed. Not Asgardians, but it didn't matter. Unnecessary blood was shed and Odin wasn't happy. So he stripped Thor of his power and banished him to Earth to teach him a lesson. A lesson he apparently learned."

Sideswipe snorts. "So it was the Asgardian version of a timeout?"

Fury shrugs. "Basically."

"But what about the Destroyer?" Ari asks. "If he was just supposed to learn his lesson and go home, then what was up with trying to kill him?"

"That was the work of his brother, Loki. Odin had fallen into the Odinsleep, some kind of coma state that happens when he becomes weak, and was unable to rule, leaving only Loki to take the throne with Thor gone. Seems to me, Loki always played second fiddle to Thor and has wanted to be king, but that was never in the cards. Thor is to be king once Odin is gone. Though both of them were raised to be kings, Loki was never going to be. Which is why when Thor was gone, he wanted to make sure Thor stayed gone.

"Thor went back to Asgard after regaining his power and defeating the Destroyer in order to confront Loki. Odin came out of the Odinsleep and Loki was defeated, but didn't die like everyone thought. He lived on, as did his anger and hatred and obsession to rule. That's when he found himself an army—the Chitauri."

"And he found a new planet to rule," Ari finishes, "Earth."

"Yes. According to Thor, Loki is proficient in the use of magic. He was somehow able to tap into the power of the Tesseract remotely in order to transport himself to Earth. Then he took the Tesseract, had a machine built to harness it, and used it to transport his army to New York. The Avengers defeated him and his army, and when the dust settled Thor took both the Tesseract and Loki back to Asgard, the Tesseract for safekeeping and Loki for sentencing and punishment."

"I still say he should have been tried and punished here," Stark protests, no longer able to stay quiet though Ari is surprised he managed it even this long.

Fury rubs at his forehead tiredly. "Stark, like I told you before, if you want to challenge an advanced race, you go right ahead. Just make sure it doesn't become an intergalactic incident and I have popcorn for when they serve you your own head on a platter."

Stark sits back in his seat, crossing his arms petulantly.

"In any case, Asgard probably has worse punishments than we do. Justice is being served, even if it isn't our own."

"It better be," Clint mutter quietly but somehow it echoes across the room. There's a beat of silence, filled with words that Ari can't hear but wants to know. There's some kind of issue here, but what?

"Right now, that's not the issue," Fury says, getting back on track. "Now that everyone is on the same page, how about we deal with our current problem?"

"So, the Chitauri were supposedly defeated but now they're back, they were led by Loki, and they were brought here by the Tesseract before," Ari sums up. "Is there any way of knowing for sure if Loki or the Tesseract are involved now?"

"Thor would be here if it was Loki or the Tesseract," Pepper says, fiddling with her fingers in her lap uneasily, "right?"

"Tall, blond, and lightning seems to be big on cleaning up his brother's mess," Stark agrees. "And if the Tesseract was involved, then that would mean it got stolen from Asgard. He'd come after it to mend that big alien ego of his, if nothing else."

"Then what do we know about the Chitauri?" Ari asks, looking around the table and only seeing blank faces.

"Unfortunately, not a whole lot," Fury admits.

"Yeah, at the time, we knew the army was being led by Loki," Stark says, "and that's all we needed to know."

"But that's not all there is _to_ know," Ari insists. "How did Loki come across the Chitauri? Why did they join his cause? Why did they follow him? Were they mercenaries? Slaves? Did they belong to someone else, some ally of his, and they were just on loan?"

"Don't know. He kept calling it his army though."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Clint points out. "That could just be the Asgardian ego talking."

"At the very least it means someone else could be pulling the Chitauri's strings this time," Fury says gravely. "And there's the possibility that they were under someone else's control all along."

Silence sits heavy in the conference room as everyone takes the time to swallow that thought. They defeated the Chitauri years ago, thought they won the war, but maybe they only just won a single battle.

What if it isn't over yet? What if it never was and this is just the next phase of a bigger plan?

"Well, whoever is behind this," Fury says, "they were after something today. Anyone have a clue as to who or what?"

"It was definitely Pepper or Ari," Clint says. "Once they left the safe room the Chitauri split up looking for them."

"And they went straight for us in that safe room," Ari says, thinking of how they went right to the safe room door without any question. "They knew where the safe room was, and how to get in."

"What worries me most is that device they brought with them," Sideswipe says, fury and concern saturating the bond. "It kept me from getting inside but no one else."

"Does that mean they knew we were there with Ari?" Sunstreaker asks.

"If they didn't, then that's one Pit of a coincidence," Clint says. "If they weren't after Ari, then at the very least they knew she'd be there."

"But why would they be after me?" Ari asks, even though she knows a potential reason already. They could be after her because of the AllSpark, but how could they possibly know about that? It's their most heavily-guarded secret. "Or Pepper?"

"With Pepper it could be payback," Stark says, jaw clenched as he reaches for Pepper's hand as if he's reassuring himself that she's still there. "I delivered the final blow last time that took them out. Whoever's in charge might not be happy about it."

"This speculation is great and all," Fury says, propping his elbows on the table, "but there's no way of knowing what they're up to. Not right now. Not until they make another move."

"So, what, we just sit around and wait?" Sideswipe asks, not liking the sound of that idea.

Ari squeezes his hand. "I don't see how we have any other choice, Sides. The only lead we have is that device they left behind."

"I can analyze it," Stark instantly offers, a giddy look to his eyes. "Find out if it had any purpose other than keeping robot aliens out."

Ari expects Fury to argue but instead he just nods. "Then in the meantime we just do our best to keep the two of you safe and as secure as possible."

Ari sighs. "Yippee, house arrest at the base again."

"Actually, I'd rather keep everyone together," Fury says, looking around the table. "We've had several near-invasions now that could have gone a lot worse than they had, but they also could have gone a lot better. The Autobots were too far away to help with New York. The Avengers were too far away to help with Chicago. If we are looking at another invasion-level event, then I'd rather all of you stay close."

It makes sense. It definitely would have been nice to have the Avengers with them whenever Chicago happened. Maybe if they all stick together, then they'll be able to face what's coming together.

But will everyone be able to work together?

Ari looks at Stark and Clint awkwardly. "So...where should we go then? Go to the N.E.S.T. base? Stay here?"

"I'm taking Pepper to the Tower," Stark says stubbornly. "We have the best security system in the world there."

"You can come with us, of course," Pepper offers with a smile.

Stark balks. "Hey! My Tower. What if I didn't want to invite them?"

Pepper's smile turns sharp as she turns to him. "Then they can stay in my twelve percent of the tower."

Stark swallows his tongue and Fury grins. "It's settled then. You're all going to New York. I'll notify the rest of the Avengers and have them meet you there."

* * *

They take a quinjet to New York—two actually because there's no way both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker can fit in just one—but even in the state-of-the-art plane it still takes them a couple of hours to get there. Ari spends the time in Sideswipe's alt mode, conferencing with Will, Rob, and the Autobots through the comm link.

Will sighs through Sideswipe's speakers, and she can imagine her dad sitting in the cab of Ironhide's truck alt mode, leaning back against the seat. ::Why is it you always seem to attract trouble, kiddo?::

"I don't know, Dad," Ari says, snuggling back against Sideswipe's chest. He's holding her in his lap in the passenger seat again, more tactile than usual. Both of them hate it when she's in danger but this time the enemy is unknown. At least before they knew it was the Decepticons.

Everything is so up in the air right now. It feels like they're at the edge of a cliff and one swift wind will be all it takes to send them spiraling down.

"So where are you guys?" she asks, trying to stay focused.

::We're just wrapping up a mission in…well, I'm not sure where we're at anymore.::

::One of the -stans I think,:: Rob says with a joking lilt. ::This op had us moving around a lot. All I know is that I got sand in some very uncomfortable places.::

Ari's nose screws up in disgust. "Rob, I love you like an uncle, but I seriously didn't need to know that."

"I didn't either," Sideswipe says, burying his face in Ari's hair.

Ari chuckles but the smile soon fades from her face, quickly replaced with her worry. "How long will it take you to get to New York?"

::At least a day I'm afraid,:: Optimus says, his deep voice filled with frustration. ::Are you sure you will be safe until we get there?::

Sideswipe's arms tighten around her and Ari reaches out to him through the bond, trying to offer what little comfort she can. "I'll be fine. I've got Sides and Sunny with me. Stark Tower is supposedly one of the most heavily secured buildings in the world, just shy of the White House. Nick is having all the Avengers gathered so I'll have Earth's mightiest heroes watching my back. And besides, there's still no guarantee this is even about me."

::Do you really believe that, little one?:: Ratchet asks. ::That this isn't about you?::

"I don't really know," Ari answers honestly, feeling the quinjet begin its descent. "But either way, I've ended up in the middle of this, haven't I?"

::That you have, baby girl,:: Will says. ::The whole team will be with you as soon as we can, okay? You just sit tight and stay safe.::

"Try my best."

Although, she's never been very good at that.

They say their goodbyes just as the others begin exiting the quinjet. Sideswipe backs out, Sunstreaker backing out of the other quinjet next to them as well. They've flown right into one of the upper floors of Stark Tower, because of course an eccentric billionaire would have a hanger for quinjets to just fly into to land.

It's part of the top ten floors of the building. The rest of the skyscraper is the east coast branch of Stark Industries, but no one knows about what goes on in those top ten. There's been plenty of media speculation, usually revolving around the sign on the side of the building.

Once, it said Stark, in big glowing letters

Then some of the letters got torn off during the Battle of New York, leaving only the A left.

Now, still only that A remains, and it looks to be intentional.

Ari steps out of Sideswipe's interior and eyes a third quinjet on the far side of the hanger that was already here when they landed. This one has the Stark Industries logo emblazoned on the side.

"Hey, Stark, why do you have a quinjet?" Ari asks.

"Oh, that's not a quinjet," Stark says, sauntering over to the plane and patting its nose. "This is a Starkjet. Designed it myself. Sure, it's based on the quinjet, but I added some improvements that make it far superior."

Clint rolls his eyes. "Fine, why do you have a Starkjet?"

Stark shrugs with a secretive smile. "Thought it might come in handy."

Ari sighs. Getting straight answers out of this man is like pulling teeth. But she doesn't really care right now. She's starting to crash from the adrenaline that's been coursing through her system for the better part of a day and the jet lag isn't helping.

Pepper must sense her exhaustion because she says, "How about we just give a quick tour and then show you where you can rest? It's been a long day for all of us."

"What about them?" Ari asks, looking back at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker still in their alt modes. There's not really enough room for them to transform. "We can't just leave them up here. What if something happens and they need to get to the street?"

"There's a freight elevator that can take them down to the main garage at ground level."

Sideswipe activates his holoform right next to Ari. Stark and Pepper jump a little—though Stark tries to hide it—and Sideswipe smirks. "That's good to know," he says, "but Sunstreaker and I are just gonna stay here for now. Stay closer to Ari."

"That's fine," Pepper says, leading them all into the elevator. Sideswipe joins them and Ari takes his hand, knowing he doesn't like that he can't be near her right now but at least he can make sure she gets settled.

"Okay, so what's up with you two?" Stark asks, eying Sideswipe, Ari, and their joined hands as he leans against the elevator wall.

Ari and Sides share a look and matching crooked smiles. "That's for us to know and you to figure out."

* * *

Everyone gets reintroduced to Jarvis—the A.I. is hardwired into the entire building even more than he was at S.I.—and then Pepper gives them a quick rundown of the different floors. Stark's and Pepper's penthouse is at the very top, there's six floors with extra apartments below that, a lounge area below that, and then below that and above the hanger is a floor cut in half with a gym and Stark's lab.

Stark stops the elevator at one of the apartment floors, pushing Clint out and closing the doors on him without saying anything and before Ari can get a good look. He then stops the elevator at a different floor, gesturing for Ari and Sideswipe to get off.

"There are six apartments on this floor," Stark says, talking quickly like he just wants to get it over with and on to other things. "All of them are empty so pick whichever one you want."

The doors close just as Stark is pulling Pepper closer to himself, leaving Ari and Sides in the hallway.

"Right," Ari says tiredly, going to the nearest door and stepping into the apartment.

She stands in the doorway a bit stunned for a moment. The apartment is _nice_ , nicer than any other place she's ever stayed in before. It has an open floor plan with a nice kitchen on the left, a comfortable sitting area on the right with a large T.V., and the entire back wall is all windows that are currently tinted. There's a door on the right as well and Ari goes through it to a bedroom with a heavy dresser, roomy closet, a big king-sized bed, and an ensuite bathroom with a large fancy shower and a jacuzzi tub.

Everything here is large and nice and expensive and holy frag how did Ari end up in the middle of all of this?

"I didn't think my life could get any stranger," Ari mumbles in astonishment, "but it just keeps surprising me."

Sideswipe wraps his arms around her from behind, pulling her close and nuzzling against the side of her head. "Well, craziness has always been attracted to you. It's worse than a bear with honey."

She hums softly as she tilts her head to the side, allowing him access to her neck where he begins to pepper soft kisses. "Well, I wish it would stop."

She can feel him grin against her skin. "No, you don't. You'd get bored without enough craziness in your life."

"True. Though I can think of more entertaining things right now."

Sideswipe must feel her desire through the bond because he doesn't need to be told twice. He picks her up and lays her down gently on the bed, draping the length of his body over hers. Ari weaves her fingers into his hair and tugs his face down to hers for a long kiss that quickly turns heated. They're both panting by the time they pull away, Sideswipe resting his forehead against hers.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" she asks. "At least until I fall asleep?"

Usually she sleeps with Sideswipe, draped across his chassis with his hands covering her like blankets and the heat of his spark keeping her warm. She hasn't actually slept in a bed in a very long time, but it wouldn't be practical for her to sleep with him here. There's not enough room for him to lay out in his bipedal form. She could sleep in his alt mode—she's done it before—but she'd be sore in the morning if she does that and more than likely Sideswipe won't even let her when there's a perfectly good bed right here.

It'll be hard to fall asleep without him with her.

Sideswipe leans back down for another kiss, this time filled with comfort. "Of course, sweetspark. Whatever you need."

She smiles up at him. "I love you."

"Love you too, Ari."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much stuff. Alright, one at a time.
> 
> I hope you like my portrayal of Stark. I had so many different versions of him meeting Autobots in my head, it was hard to choose which version would fit him. But the Autobots are common knowledge so it's not like Sideswipe is a surprise to him or anything. And he doesn't seem like the type of guy to show his emotions easily either. So, projecting indifference and caution seemed the way to go. But other than that, do you think I got him right? Him and Thor are the ones I'm most nervous about.
> 
> Lots of MCU explanations. I know not everyone reading this knows much about the Avengers and everything so I tried to cover everything you might need to know. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
> 
> Will, Rob, and the Autobots are on their way! I wanted to have Ari meet all the Avengers herself before adding on other characters. This is a lot of characters I'm dealing with, guys, and it feels a bit overwhelming at times. I'll try to get all our favorites in though.
> 
> And lastly, HAS ANYONE SEEN THE TRAILER FOR THE NEW TRANSFORMERS MOVIE?! WILL IS IN IT! LENNOX IS COMING BACK AND I'M SO FRAGGING EXCITED! :D
> 
> *cough* Anyway, next chapter the rest of the Avengers start rolling in, including our favorite assassin. And our favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	3. Some Assembly Required

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Hope everyone had a good holiday season. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. This is a bit later in the month than I originally intended, but I haven't forgotten about you guys! I've just been a bit focused on an original story I've been working on for the past two plus years. I'm in the final stages of editing and getting close to actually being able to publish it (so excited!). For anyone interested, I'll post details about the story and where you can get it once it's published but it probably won't be for another couple of months yet still. I'm aiming for the summer.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter has the arrival of our next Avenger. Steve is a bit iffy in my head right now but I hope you like him.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Ari awakens to the bedroom lights gradually turning on. She squints against the intrusive brightness, letting out a mumbled, "What?"

"My apologies, Ms. Lennox," Jarvis says, his voice filling the room, "but Mr. Sideswipe asked me to wake you."

Ari snorts at the honorific, thinking it sounds ridiculous, but then she looks around the room suspiciously. "Jarvis, you don't have any cameras in here, do you?"

"Certainly not," he says, sounding insulted. "I have infrared scanners that can be used to check on your wellbeing but they are only activated upon your request as the current resident of this apartment or my audio sensors pick up signs of distress. But if there is anything you want or need, you need only ask and I will answer."

Well, that's a relief. "Right. Cool. So where's Sideswipe?"

"His holoform is currently in the kitchen."

"Thanks."

"You are quite welcome."

Ari gets up from the bed, drawing the bed sheet around herself to stay covered by securing it under her armpits. She debates getting back into her clothes from yesterday since they're the only clothes she has with her at the moment but decides against it. So long as no one else is in the apartment it's not like it matters.

She finds Sideswipe just where Jarvis said he would be, in the kitchen standing at the stove cooking something. She steps up beside him and he smiles, wrapping his arm around her to pull her close for a kiss.

"Good morning," he says, keeping hold of her while flipping pancakes with his other hand. "You sleep alright?"

"Yeah, not too bad. I think I was too exhausted to sleep anything but deeply."

"That's good." He flips a pancake over and it sizzles in the pan. "This is about done if you want to grab a plate."

"Good, I'm starving," Ari says, digging around the cupboards and drawers until she finds a plate and silverware.

"I thought you might be. You haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday. It's a good thing Stark keeps the kitchens in all of his apartments fully stocked."

They plate up the food and sit on a couple of bar stools at the kitchen island, Ari handing a fork to Sideswipe as well since it's practically impossible to keep him from stealing food from her whenever she has it, even though he doesn't actually need it.

"So," Sideswipe says around a piece of pancake, "what's the game plan here?"

"I don't really know," Ari says, looking down at her plate in thought. "There's nothing much we _can_ do, especially since we don't even know if I'm the intended target or not."

"You could be, because of the AllSpark."

"It's such a closely guarded secret, though. What are the chances the Chitauri and whoever's leading them actually know?"

"I don't know, Ari." They're silent for a few moments while they eat until Sideswipe asks, "Are you going to tell the others?"

"What, that I'm the AllSpark?" Her nose scrunches up at the idea. "Honestly, I'd rather not."

"Why?"

"I just...I don't know." He stabs at a piece of pancake more forcefully than intended, the fork prongs scraping loudly against the plate. "Fury already knows. Clint and Nat already know. I trust them with it. But the rest of the Avengers? I don't even know them. I don't know how they'll react. I don't know if they'll ever tell anyone else. And Stark, he's a scientist. How do I know he won't want to experiment on me like the World Security Council did?"

He draws his stool closer to her so he can wrap his arm around her shoulders. "You know I would never let him touch you."

"I know that," she says laying her head on his shoulder. "But until I know them better, until I trust them, I'd rather they not know. Especially if this turns out not to even be about me."

"Alright. If you're sure." He presses a kiss to the top of her head and then they finish up the pancakes.

Sideswipe begins to clear the dishes away while Ari looks down at her current attire—a bed sheet and _only_ a bed sheet. She really doesn't want to get back into her dirty clothes from yesterday so she asks, "Hey, Sides, can you get my duffle bag from your trunk and bring it up?"

"Already done," he says as he places the dishes in the dishwasher. "I grabbed it before starting breakfast. And an agent already brought over the stuff you left at Stark Industries, too."

"Awesome. I think I've still got a few clothes left that are clean and I can get out of this bed sheet."

"But what if I like you in just a bed sheet?" he asks with a mischievous grin as he returns to his stool. She knows that look on his face. She wouldn't put it past him to hide her bag from her, the little prankster.

"Don't even think about it," she warns him, leaning close to press a kiss to his lips tasting of butter and syrup. "We've got lots of stuff to do today."

"Like what? We're basically just staying put until something happens."

She directs her voice to the ceiling, "Jarvis, am I correct in assuming that more of the Avengers are showing up today?"

"That would be correct, Ms. Lennox," Jarvis answers. "Sir has already sent the Starkjet to collect Dr. Bruce Banner, and Agent Natasha Romanoff and Captain Steve Rogers shall be arriving within the hour."

Ari's eyes light up with excitement. "Natasha! I feel like I haven't seen her in forever."

Sideswipe sighs mournfully. "I guess you better go get ready then."

"Don't worry, Sideswipe. We can still have fun."

He arches an eyebrow at her. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. With the five of us together again, we need to pull a prank. And I know just who the victim should be."

His eyes light up with glee. "Oh, yeah, I can definitely get behind that kind of fun."

* * *

Once Ari gets changed into a pair of shorts and a shirt—some of the few non-business wear she packed with her when going on her trip—she and Sideswipe go to the floor with the lounge area, which they find out from Jarvis is referred to as the common room.

She wonders if Stark is secretly a Harry Potter fan but figures Pepper is more the type.

The common room is as the name implies, a lounging area for multiple people. There's a large cluster of couches off to one side in front of a huge T.V. with several different game stations beneath it. Behind the couches is what looks like a fully stocked bar, and then on the other side of the room is a kitchen, this one even bigger than the one in Ari's apartment. The back wall is all windows, something that seems to be a theme for the entire Tower and makes the room look even bigger than it already is. On the other side of the windows the building juts out to create a lower rooftop with a landing pad, which—based on video Ari's seen on the news—Stark uses for when landing in the Iron Man suit.

Stark and Pepper are both already here, Pepper lounging on a couch in shorts and a tank top herself, typing away at her phone, and Stark is in the kitchen pouring what is probably not his first cup of coffee, given his rumpled jeans and shirt.

"Want coffee?" Stark asks, taking a long sip from his mug while gesturing vaguely over to the fancy machine on the counter as he sits next to Pepper.

"No, thank you," Ari says, her and Sideswipe sitting on a couch perpendicular to them. "I don't drink coffee."

More like it doesn't do anything for her since her higher metabolism breaks the caffeine down too quickly, but honestly, she doesn't really care for the taste anyway.

"You don't drink coffee? How do you survive?"

"I survive just fine," Sideswipe says.

"Yeah, but you don't count. You _can't_ drink coffee."

"That's what you think." Sideswipe snatches the mug out of Starks hand before the billionaire knows what's happening, taking a big gulp. He swallows, nose scrunching up as he hands the mug back with a disgusted look. "Holy, Primus, that tastes like slag. What is it, motor oil?"

"No, Stark just takes his coffee as black as his soul," a familiar voice says and Ari turns in delight to see Natasha Romanoff stepping out of the elevator, green eyes full of mischief. She's wearing the leather catsuit of her Black Widow uniform, her red hair standing out in bright contrast flowing down her back in waves.

"Nat!" Ari leaps off the couch and into Natasha's waiting arms.

"Nat?" Stark asks in alarm. "Why is she Nat? Should I be worried?"

Natasha shoots him a shark grin. "Yes, Stark, you should be." She then holds Ari out at arm's length, looking her over closely and speaking in Russian, _"Are you alright?"_

_"Yes, I'm fine,"_ Ari replies in the same language. _"It's been a strange twenty-four hours."_

_"I'm sure it has. Hopefully it won't take us long to figure this out."_

_"I hope so, too. I was supposed to go home soon. I was looking forward to it."_

Natasha squeezes her shoulder. "Don't worry, _kotyonok_ ," she says in English again, though using her Russian nickname for Ari. Kitten. "You'll be on your way back to your family before you know it."

"What are you plotting over there?" Stark asks suspiciously, both him and Pepper coming over to them. "What are you saying in your super-secret spy language?"

"It's Russian, Stark," Natasha says. "You could know what we're saying if you took the time to learn."

"I know enough languages, thank you, and I have Jarvis for the rest. J?"

Natasha says something to Jarvis in Russian that makes Ari hiss between her teeth in sympathy.

After a long moment of silence Jarvis says, "I apologize, Sir, but I appear to be unable to translate at this time."

Stark balks up at the ceiling. "Why is everyone against me all of a sudden?"

" _Because it is fun to pick on you,"_ Natasha says, in French this time.

" _No, it isn't,"_ Stark says, also in French which doesn't seem to surprise Natasha at all. _"And this wouldn't be happening if we'd just stick to English."_

" _How many languages do you know?"_ Ari asks, joining in.

" _Five,"_ Stark says smugly. _"And you?"_

" _A lot more than five,"_ she replies in Spanish.

" _That's still not a number,"_ he says in Italian.

Ari shrugs, switching to German. _"What can I say? I've kind of lost count."_

Stark squints at her, like staring will force her secrets out of her. "Okay, I don't know that one. What did you say?"

"She said she's lost count of how many languages she knows," a voice says and for the first time Ari realizes Natasha didn't step out of the elevator alone.

That's Captain fragging America right there.

He's wearing the suit, though it's changed since New York. It's mostly blue now, and dark, but it still has a white star on his broad chest and the red, white, and blue circle shield is strapped to his back. The cowl is missing at the moment, his blond hair disheveled and the sharp angles of his face and jaw on full display.

He's handsome, to be sure. Men and women alike fawn over him, both now and back when he first became Captain America in the 1940s. He's always portrayed as the good 'ol boy, the American icon. But he's more than that. Ari can tell by the haunted look in his deep blue eyes. It's the same look she's seen in any of the soldiers back at N.E.S.T., the Autobots too.

"Pepper, Stark," the Captain nods to them in greeting. "Good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Steve," Pepper says with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, "though I wish it were under better circumstances."

Stark wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer to his side. "Fury tell you what's going on?"

"Yeah, he briefed us on the flight over. So we've got Chitauri again?"

"Looks like, though we're not sure who they're after, Pepper or the squirt here."

"Watch it, Stark," Ari says in slight warning. "Things don't always end up good for those who call me short."

"Bring it, squirt."

"If she doesn't, then I will," Natasha says with a pleasant smile despite the threat, and Stark gulps. She then turns to the Captain. "Steve, this is Ari Lennox. Ari, this is Captain Steve Rogers."

"Hello, Captain Rogers," Ari says with a small smile, trying not to fangirl because that's got to be something he's kind of tired of. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He holds out a gloved hand for her to shake. "You, too," he says, a bit of Brooklyn in his voice. "I've heard a lot about you."

She arches her brow at him. "Really? You've heard a lot about me? Shouldn't I be the one saying that? I mean, you're the famous superhero and all."

"You've become pretty famous yourself, Ambassador."

Ari blushes, never really having thought about it before. Her growing fame. She's been on T.V. quite a few times now, what with the press conferences after Egypt and Chicago, but there have also been talk shows now, too. She's been on half a dozen different T.V. stations talking about the Autobots, telling people what she knows about them, answering questions, and just basically helping the public learn about the aliens who are living with them on this planet.

Her main focus is always the Autobots, not herself. They're the important ones, the ones people are so curious about, so it feels odd for people to actually know who she is.

She smiles, shaking her head. "None of this formal talk, now. Just call me Ari."

He smiles back. "Then by all means, call me Steve."

"And this here is Sideswipe," Ari says, gesturing to Sideswipe's holoform beside her.

"Right," Steve says, looking at Sideswipe curiously. "So, you're a giant alien robot?"

"Yep," Sideswipe says with a chirp, slinging a lazy arm around Ari's shoulders. "This is my holoform. Great for getting into human-sized places when, you know, the rest of me kind of can't."

"Huh." Steve shakes his head bewilderedly. "Sorry, it's just that, you don't look like an alien. You look like any other human I've met."

"Thor looks human too, Cap," Stark drawls, "and you know he isn't."

"Yeah, well, Thor usually wears his whole medieval getup with the armor and the cape. You, Sideswipe, you just look…well, normal." He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. "I guess it's just hard to believe without seeing it for myself."

"We can do show and tell later, Cap," Stark says. "Right now, we got more important things to do."

"Right, sorry." Steve's face changes, a lot like Ari's seen Will's face change when he steps in front of a group of soldiers, getting ready to lead them. "So the device they left behind, do we know what it does yet?"

"Nope. S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to send it here today and I'll get started on taking it apart. Based on the pictures, though, I'm willing to bet that it's not made to keep out unwanted metal aliens. At least, not only."

"Why do you figure that?" Ari asks curiously.

"Eh, just based on the general design. It looks more like some sort of communications relay, meaning keeping Cybertronians out was probably an unintended byproduct of whatever signal they're using. Either way, I'll know more once I get my hands on it."

"And where are the others?" Steve asks. "Have we been able to track down Dr. Banner yet?"

"If you mean we as in S.H.I.E.L.D. that would be a no." Stark pulls something out of his pocket that looks like a pane of glass about the size of a smartphone, but based on the images projected on it Ari's pretty sure it _is_ some sort of smartphone. "But if you mean we as in me, then yes. I gave Bruce a Starkphone before he left for the dead end of nowhere again. I texted him the gist of it and he's on his way back in the jet. Should be here by tonight."

"Good. And Barton?"

"Right here!" Clint says, his voice coming from above them. They all look up to see a vent cover in the ceiling pop open and Clint stick his head out with a goofy grin.

"Barton, why are you in my vents?" Stark asks, looking like he wishes he had his Iron Man suit right about now.

"I was checking out the layout of the building and security."

"You can't do that on the floor like everybody else?"

"The vents are a great way of getting around without being seen." Clint shrugs. "I can find out a lot more if no one knows I'm there. Kudos for having clean vents, by the way. I don't find that very often."

Stark gives him a look like he thinks Clint is insane. "Sure, whatever, birdbrain. Now get down."

Clint obliges, swinging out of the vent feet first while closing the vent cover on his way out in one smooth motion. He lands on his feet, beaming proudly like the ex-carnie he is. Natasha rolls her eyes as he goes to stand next to her and then she promptly smacks the back of his head.

"Ow!" He rubs his head, throwing his partner a glare. "What was that for?"

"For goofing off."

"I'll have you know, I wasn't goofing off." Everyone levels him with a Look and he amends, "Fine, I wasn't _just_ goofing off. I actually came to tell you that there's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent downstairs in the lobby. He wants to come up but security isn't letting him."

"Is it the same guy who dropped off Ari's stuff?" Sideswipe asks. "He was just supposed to leave her stuff at the desk and leave."

"No. Different guy. He's a suit but not one I recognize."

"Jarvis, bring it up on the monitor," Stark says, moving to the T.V. in the living room as Jarvis turns it on to show a security feed from the lobby. There's a guy in a suit just as Clint said, arguing with the receptionist at the large desk who is flanked by two members of security.

"Why do you think he's here?" Ari asks. "Do you think they found out something?"

"Don't know," Stark says. "Let's find out. Jarvis? Connect us."

They watch as the phone at the lobby desk rings and the receptionist picks it up without giving the agent a second glance, much to his irritation.

"Hello, this is Shelly, how can I help you?" the receptionist says, her voice coming from Jarvis's speakers like she's on speakerphone.

"Hi, Shelly," Stark says, laying on the charm even though she can't see him. "This is Tony Stark. Put the suit on, would you?"

"Y-Yes," Shelly says, flustered. "Right away, Mr. Stark."

She hands the cordless phone to the agent and he opens his mouth to speak, but Stark doesn't give him a chance. "Yeah, what are you doing here?"

"I need to speak with you and your team, Mr. Stark," the suit says. "Please tell your security to let me up."

"Sorry, not happening. We're kind of in lockdown right now, you know, on account of the aliens? You heard about that, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark, I did. That's why I'm here. Director Fury sent me to be liaison between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers team so that we can all stay informed as the situation develops."

"Sorry, but I don't know you and I'm not about to let some random guy up here. So if Fury want us all to play nice he can either come himself or send an agent we actually all know."

"Where's Phil?" Ari suddenly pipes up. "If someone needs to be liaison, then he would be the best option. Why isn't he here instead of you?"

"Who's Phil?" Stark asks.

Ari shoots him a curious look. Pepper and Steve look confused as well. "You know Phil. I know you do." They just shake their heads. "You know, Agent Coulson."

Recognition dawns on them and Pepper gives her a sympathetic look, reaching out to touch her shoulder like she's trying to console her. "Oh, Ari. Phil Coulson is dead. He died during New York."

Ari just blinks for a few seconds, trying to reconcile the fact that Phil Coulson is a fragging _idiot_.

Yes, she knows Phil Coulson "died" right before the Battle of New York. Loki stabbed him. And he did flat line a few times, but the medics were able to save his life. That didn't stop Nick from telling everyone that he was dead though. He says the Avengers needed a push in order to pull together as a team. So he gave him that push. Afterwards, Phil had to keep up the charade of being "dead" because Nick ordered him to. Really, they just didn't know how to fix what they'd done without getting yelled at.

She turns to Natasha and Clint, arching a brow in question. They know Phil is alive, Ari let the cat out of the bag herself with them, forcing Phil to confront them because Phil, Clint, and Natasha are like family to each other. She just thought that, what with Clint and Natasha knowing the truth now, that Phil would stop with the "dead" act and tell everyone else that he's okay.

Natasha just arches her brow in return with a slight shrug of one shoulder. Apparently, that's not the case. The cat is still very much in the bag as far as everyone else is concerned.

But not for much longer because Ari is tired of this slag.

There's a muffled snort and she looks up at Clint, who's holding in laughter and giving her a nod because he knows just what she's thinking and is totally on board with this plan.

Good, because there's going to be some serious damage control needed.

Ari pulls out her phone from the pocket of her shorts and scrolls through her contacts, looking for Phil's number. She presses it with her thumb and puts the call on speakerphone, waiting as the dial tones ring out.

"Who are you calling?" Steve asks.

"Someone who should be doing this himself." She nods towards the T.V. where the security footage shows the suit still on the phone, waiting for someone to say what he wants to hear. "Get rid of that guy. We don't need him."

"Happily," Stark says. "Come on, Jarvis, you heard the lady."

"Right away, Sir," Jarvis says and then the call cuts out on the agent's startled squawk of disapproval, the T.V. going black once more.

Phil finally picks up on the eighth ring, voice sounding tired, "Yes, Ari?"

"Philip Jonathan Coulson, you have a lot of explaining to do," Ari says, voice stern and just this side of yelling.

"What do you mean?" he says without inflection. Fragging spies and their spy masks that even work on their voices.

"Don't you play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Why do most of the Avengers still think you're dead?"

He sighs heavily. "Ari, I'm under orders, you know that."

"Frag orders!" She's heard him talk about the Avengers before, Pepper included. These people are his friends and he's kept them in the dark, has had to stay away from them, for so long now.

"But Fury-"

"You let me worry about Nick. You're not going to play dead any longer. Now get over here and apologize to your friends."

"Ari, it really is best they don't know."

"It's a little late for that, Phil," Sideswipe says with a grin.

There's a moment of silence before Phil sighs again. "I'm on speakerphone, aren't I."

"Yep."

"And they're all right there?"

"That's right," Ari answers, since none of the gobsmacked people around her look up to talking right now. "Get to Stark Tower, Phil. _Now_. These people deserve the truth. And don't even think of trying to run or I'll have one of the Autobots stop off to collect you on their way here."

She disconnects the call and pockets the phone again before he can reply and before she can throw the device across the room. She thought he was past all this secrecy slag. There is literally no point to him playing dead anymore. Nick just doesn't want to own up to his deception, especially to the Avengers.

Well, too bad. He'll just have to deal with the consequences.

"Agent Coulson…is _alive_?" Steve asks, disbelief marring his face but they all heard Phil's voice just moments ago. It was him and he was very much alive. "How?"

"Loki's spear just missed Phil's heart," Ari explains, plopping down heavily on one of the couches. She feels ready to go back to bed already. Sideswipe sits down next to her and she leans against him. "Really, he's very lucky _to_ be alive."

"But he shouldn't be," Stark snaps. The others sit on the other available couches but Stark paces the room with stiff shoulders. "Fury told us he was dead."

"Fury lied," Natasha says, voice filled with disgust even though she's known about Phil's "death" for years now. "It's what he does. He lies and manipulates and keeps secrets when he thinks it's for the greater good."

Steve shakes his head in disappointment. "That doesn't make it right."

Stark stops in his tracks, pointing an accusing finger at Natasha and Clint. "Wait, did you two know about this?"

"Yeah," Clint says quietly, body completely still and eyes assessing Stark like he's expecting the billionaire to attack. "But only because of Ari. It was a lot like what she just did. She forced Phil to fess up to being alive despite Fury's orders."

"Don't blame this on them," Ari says, giving Stark a pointed look until he finally plops down next to Pepper on the couch. "This isn't on them. This is all Fury's doing. And a little bit of Phil. Honestly, I thought he would have told you by now."

"Why didn't he?" Pepper asks meekly. "Did he not trust us? I mean, I thought…I thought we were friends."

"I do consider you my friends," Phil's voice suddenly fills the silence and they all look up to see him stepping off the elevator, suit crisp and clean as ever, brown hair cut short, and the lines of his face forming that impregnable mask of his. "I just…didn't know how to tell you."

"A phone call would have been nice," Stark says, getting to his feet again and stalking over to the agent, arms crossed. "A simple 'Hey, guys, I'm not dead so you don't have to come to my funeral' is all we would have needed. Seriously, Agent, that was an entire day wasted. And the flowers! I got this huge bouquet of flowers that Pepper picked out for your grave and everything. But nope, it was all for nothing, because you're _not dead_."

Phil's eyes soften and his mouth tilts up ever so slightly in a smile. "It's good to see you, too, Stark."

Stark snorts, rolling his eyes, but he uncrosses his arms and the tenseness evaporates from his shoulders. "Just don't do it again, Agent. Funerals are boring and flowers are ridiculously expensive nowadays. I swear, flower shops should be ashamed of themselves."

"What he means is, we're happy you're back, Phil," Pepper says, wrapping the man in a hug that he instantly returns and all but sags into. "We missed you."

"I've missed all of you, too," Phil says as he pulls away and then he looks towards Steve, who's stayed silent so far.

Steve approaches to stand right in front of Phil, hands on his waist and neither of them saying anything for several minutes. Then Steve pulls something out of one of the compartments in his utility belt, holding it between them.

A deck of cards, Captain America's visage printed on them in an old forties style and a faded stain smeared across the sides looking a lot like blood.

"I was wondering where those went," Phil says quietly, looking down at the cards. "What happened to them?"

"Fury said they were in your pocket when you got," Steve swallows heavily, "stabbed."

A frown breaks through Phil's mask. "No, they weren't. They were in my locker."

Steve mirrors his frown. "More of Fury's lies, then, I guess."

"I'm really…sorry about all of that. If I-"

"No. Ari's right. It wasn't your fault and it's not fair to blame you for it. I just wish you'd told us sooner." Phil opens his mouth to apologize again but Steve just shakes his head and holds out the cards. "Here. You should have them back."

Phil nods gratefully, taking the cards and shuffling through them. He looks up at Steve in surprise. "You signed them?"

"Yeah," Steve says with a bashful smile. "I never got the chance to do it before. I figured it's the least I could do after everything you did."

A tinge of pink grows across the tips of Phil's ears. "Thank you."

"Holy Primus," Sideswipe says in shocked delight. "Phil, are you a Captain America fanboy?"

The pink spreads down Phil's neck and Steve starts blushing as well, neither of them looking at each other.

Sideswipe crows in laughter. "You _are_! Holy slag, Phil, why did we not know about this sooner?"

"Seriously, Phil," Ari agrees. "You should have said something. It would have made Christmas shopping a lot easier." She suddenly gasps, a crooked smile spreading across her face as she tugs on Sideswipe's sleeve excitedly. "Think of the _pranks_."

Everyone laughs as Phil glares at her, the tension bleeding from the room. They accept Phil back into their group with opens arms—quite literally in Pepper's case again—and a weight lifts from Phil's shoulders, a weight he's been carrying around for so long. He laughs with them in the first show of true, unbridled happiness Ari thinks she's ever seen on him. It makes all of this—all the uncertainty and fear—worth it, just for this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picking on Stark is fun. XD
> 
> Alright, so we've got our good captain on the scene now. He's kind of hard to write for me, I've read so many different versions of him it's hard to pin down what I think is the most accurate. I'm especially not sure how exactly he'd react to the whole alien robot thing. I mean, he reacted so well to Thor being an alien, but Thor actually looks human. Then again, so does Sideswipe (right now anyway) and it's not like the Autobots are a new thing. He's known about them for awhile, everyone has, so there's a good chance he could be pretty well adjusted to the idea of alien robots already. Though it's not like he's actually met any of them himself. Anyway, difficulties, but we're dealing.
> 
> And then we got Phil, the fragging idiot. I don't see him fessing up to being alive all that easily, but it's a good thing Ari is around to force it. :) It's not like we can just leave Phil out of all the fun.
> 
> Next chapter we have Ari interacting with Steve and Tony a bit more, getting to know them and such. And we also have the arrival of our next Avenger of the big and green type.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	4. Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long. Again. Life has been really busy lately. Work continues on my original piece and I'm getting closer and closer to publishing. I'm just waiting on feedback from some close friends and then it'll be up for sale at every major ebook seller. For those interested, I'll keep you posted. I've also begun working on the next Life Versus Living One-shot. It's been so long since the last one, I figured it's about time I get another out. I'll hopefully have it done in two or so weeks.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter goes a lot of places. We've got some Steve, some Stark, and a little bit of our newest, greenest Avenger. And then, of course, it ends with something I'm famous for. *evil laugh*
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Ari tries to concentrate on the movie in front of her but it's difficult, even though it's one of her go-to movies when she needs to feel better. They're back to a holding pattern as they're forced to wait for people to show up, either more of the Avengers, N.E.S.T., or the Chitauri, whoever comes first. It makes her antsy since just sitting around and waiting has never been something she's good at, but that's not why she's having a hard time paying attention to the movie now.

Everyone has gone their separate ways for now. Pepper is in the penthouse suite she shares with Stark, catching up on some S.I. work, Stark himself is in the lab getting to work on finding the Chitauri along with Phil, and Natasha and Clint have gone off to explore more of the Tower. Ari and Sideswipe are in the common room, nestled together on the couch, but they're not the only ones there.

Steve is sitting a little bit away in an armchair, his uniform gone and replaced with a white t-shirt and beige slacks. There's a book in his lap that looks like some sort of history textbook. However, his eyes don't stay focused on the pages. They keep straying to the T.V. screen in curiosity.

"You alright over there, Steve?" Ari finally asks after the pages haven't turned for a good fifteen minutes.

Steve yanks his eyes over to her almost guiltily. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." He then goes back to his book.

"What are you reading?"

"Uh," Steve looks up from his book, embarrassed, "it's a book the head docs at S.H.I.E.L.D. gave me, to help me catch up with…everything I missed."

It's easy to forget just looking at him. Just looking at him, he appears to be in his late twenties, early thirties tops. In reality, Steve was actually born in 1920. In 1941 he received the serum that turned him into, for lack of a better term, a super soldier. It changed his life forever, transforming him from a small, sickly man into the strong soldier he is now. He went on to fight in World War II, fighting against the Nazis, specifically the science division of the Nazis known as Hydra who were developing advanced, experimental weapons. Steve managed to kill the head of Hydra but the plane they were in was damaged. The plane crashed into the Arctic Ocean, Steve still on board. The icy waters froze him and that, plus the serum, allowed him to fall into a state similar to cryogenics. It took roughly seventy years to find him and he woke up in a new century with nothing and no one familiar.

That's seventy years of history he slept through.

"So S.H.I.E.L.D. is just leaving it up to you to catch up on Earth's history?" Sideswipe asks. "That seems kind of slaggy of them."

Steve arches a brow. "Slaggy?"

Sideswipe chuckles. "Sorry. Cybertronian curse word."

"I've heard Barton and Romanoff use that word and others like it. They pick that up from you?"

"Everyone picks it up eventually," Ari says with a smirk. "Give it a couple of days and you will too. Although, you were raised to mind your tongue, right?"

A wistful, far-off smile spreads across Steve's face and he places his book down on an end table. "Yeah, my momma would have skinned my hide for swearing like that. It's kind of weird how people use curse words so openly now. I mean, don't get me wrong, people swore a lot back in the day, especially during the war. Including me. But it's still kind of a habit, you know?"

"Yeah, I can understand that," Ari says softly, rubbing her hand absently over her AllSpark marks. "There must be a lot of changes you have to get used to. And S.H.I.E.L.D. is just making you figure it out all by yourself?"

Steve's face droops into a grimace. "Yeah, I guess. They sort of just shoved books at me and waved me on. Don't really see how I have any other options though. It's not like S.H.I.E.L.D. has an agent they can lend me as a teacher for a few months. Even if they did, that's just the history part. There's still all the pop culture that's honestly kind of worse. No one can just…teach me that stuff."

"Yeah, the pop culture stuff is hard," Sideswipe agrees. "You kind of have to just go one culture reference at a time, looking it up as they come up."

"Is that how you guys do it? You and the Autobots?"

"Yeah, though we at least have instant access to the internet. How are you handling it?"

"I have a list." Steve digs into his pocket and withdraws a little black book. "I write down things I don't know or things people tell me I should look up. I try to do a couple every day but for every one I get through ten more get added."

"That sounds daunting."

"Yeah, it really is." Steve sighs heavily. "Some days it feels like I won't ever catch up."

There's just a deep sadness in his voice, though he tries to hide it. Ari feels like a fish out of water sometimes because of the AllSpark. It's changed her and her life so much. But Steve…he has it so much worse. At least Ari still looks the same. At least she is surrounded by the people she loves and who care for her. Steve was totally changed by the serum. He looks almost nothing like he used to, besides his face. His own body is foreign to him. And now, even though this is the same world he was born into, in a way it isn't. So much has been changed—altered—to where nothing looks the same. Nothing is the same as what he remembers. There isn't even anyone alive still that he remembers as far as Ari knows.

He's completely alone in an unfamiliar world.

"Well," Ari says definitively, stopping the movie they were watching— _Tangled—_ and browsing back through Stark's ridiculous digital collection of movies and T.V. shows. "Maybe it won't be so daunting for you if you have someone go through it all with you."

"What are you doing?" Steve asks.

"Starting with one of the biggest pieces of pop culture: Disney. We'll go through the movies from the very beginning."

 _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_ begins to play on the screen and that small, wistful smile returns to Steve's face. "I watched this when it originally came out. My…my friend Bucky and I saw it together at the theater."

Sideswipe opens his mouth to ask but Ari elbows him in the side, shaking her head slightly.

" _What?"_ Sideswipe asks along their bond.

" _Don't ask him about Bucky,"_ Ari tells him.

" _Why?"_

" _Bucky's full name was James Buchanan Barnes but his friends called him Bucky. According to the history books, he and Steve were best friends. Brothers even."_

" _What happened to him?"_

" _He died during the war, not long before Steve fell into the ice."_

" _Oh."_ Sideswipe looks over at Steve, who is watching the movie with a smile still on his face.

" _Let's not remind him of any of that right now,"_ Ari says, settling more fully into Sideswipe's side and he tightens his arm around her shoulders. _"I get the feeling he doesn't get a chance to relax and just smile like this very often."_

* * *

They get through _Snow White_ , _Pinocchio_ , and _Fantasia_ before Steve's stomach rumbles and they decide to take a break. They raid the common room kitchen, just taking out the makings for sandwiches when Clint, Natasha, and Pepper show up to get in on the food. Steve makes at least five for himself and Ari thanks Primus that the AllSpark didn't give her a metabolism like the serum gave Steve.

They eat at the dining table, exchanging idle chitchat. Clint and Natasha are telling Steve about the outrageously tripped out gym the Tower has when Ari realizes there are people missing. "Where are Stark and Phil?"

"In Tony's lab," Pepper says with a long-suffering sigh. "Phil got S.H.I.E.L.D. to send over the machine the Chitauri used at S.I. that kept Sideswipe out. He's taking it apart right now, trying to figure out how it works and what exactly it's supposed to do."

"They going to stop long enough to get something to eat?"

Pepper sighs again. "Knowing Tony, no. Once he gets onto a new project that intrigues him it's hard to get him to slow down long enough to take care of himself. He just gets so wrapped up in his own head."

Everyone starts cleaning up, depositing their plates in the dishwasher and then going their separate ways—Natasha takes Steve to check out the gym, Pepper goes back upstairs to keep working, and Clint wants to work on his bow.

Ari lingers in the kitchen though. After contemplating for a moment, she asks, "Hey, Jarvis?"

"Yes, Ms. Lennox?" Jarvis replies immediately.

"Does Stark like ham sandwiches?"

"He does. However, I would like to inform you that Sir does not like mustard."

Ari snorts, taking out the bread and ham again. "Well, that's something him and Sideswipe have in common. What about Phil? Do you know if he likes ham sandwiches?"

"Actually, Agent Coulson is no longer in the building. He left approximately eight minutes ago to return to the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in order to meet with Director Fury. Based on the phone conversation Agent Coulson had shortly before his departure, I believe the director has discovered you let his secret be known."

Ari hums thoughtfully, grabbing a bottled water out of the fridge to go with the sandwich. "Keep me updated, alright? Don't let Nick try to blame anyone else. He wants to talk to someone about it, have him talk to me."

"Of course, Ms. Lennox."

Sideswipe joins her in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her before she can pick up the plate with the sandwich. "You taking care of Stark now? Should I be jealous?"

"Aww, you know you're the only mech for me," she says, reaching up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. "I just want to find out if Stark figured anything out about the machine."

"And?" he digs.

" _And_ to get a feel for him," she admits, glancing around to make sure they really are alone in the common room. "If this all does turn out to be about the AllSpark, then I want to make sure he can be trusted with knowing. And even if it doesn't, he's going to be involved with the Cybertronian technology sharing project if I choose Stark Industries. Since I have the opportunity, I want to make doubly sure S.I. is the right way to go for you guys."

"Alright. You want me to go with you?"

"Actually, I think I'll go by myself. I get the feeling he'll respond better if it's just one-on-one. And," she bites her lip, not sure how to say this gently without making him mad, "I'm not sure he's entirely warmed up to you yet."

"Yeah, I kind of figured as much." He presses a soft kiss to her forehead, giving her understanding through the bond. "Look, don't worry about it, sweetspark. You know not everyone is so quick to accept us. That's his problem, not ours, and especially not yours."

"I know. It's just frustrating." She gives him one last kiss and then steps away, collecting the food and water. "Well, wish me luck."

"Good luck. I'm going to contact the others, find out how far out they are and if Sunny has spotted anything out in the city."

"Alright, I'll see you later then. Love you."

He gives her that crooked smile she loves. "Love you, too."

His holoform blinks out and Ari heads towards the elevator, wondering just what it is she's getting herself into.

* * *

The elevator dings and Ari steps out into a hallway lined with glass walls on either side only interrupted by the occasional glass door. The first door on the left is the gym, but a door on the far end on the right opens automatically for her thanks to Jarvis, letting out a cacophony of sound. It might be music but it's so loud it's hard to make much of anything out.

Inside is a room that's all bright lights, stainless steel, and the smell of motor oil. There are workbenches all around the room covered in machinery and tools. There's also holographic displays at every table allowing for 3D interactions with blueprints and systems. There's a testing area in the back where three robots stand at attention that look like claw machines on wheels, one of them holding a fire extinguisher. Scorch marks and the faint scent of something burning shows how experiments have gone wrong in the past and that extinguisher has probably been used many times.

It reminds her of Wheeljack's workshop. Except for the AC/DC.

Ari maneuvers the water bottle into the crease of her left elbow so that her right hand is free and then waves at the nearest camera, hoping to get Jarvis's attention. Blessedly, it works, and the room goes silent.

There's a metal clang, an irritated squawk, and then Stark stands up from behind a machine in the middle of the floor. It's an odd machine Ari can't make heads or tails of, just that it's something advanced and not human with a part on top that's sort of like a satellite dish. Stark throws the screwdriver he was using haphazardly aside and stalks towards her, his band shirt and jeans spotted in black sludge. "What do you want, squirt? I'm busy."

"I brought you lunch," she says, holding up the plate and bottle like a peace offering. "I figured you might be hungry."

"Nope, too busy to be hungry." He turns on his heel, digging around in a toolbox on a nearby table. "You want to help, go get me coffee."

Ari rolls her eyes, setting the meal down next to the toolbox. "I don't work for you, Stark. Go get your own coffee."

"But you got me a sandwich," he says with mischief in his eyes. "Why not coffee, too?"

Ari props her hip against the table next to him, arms crossed in front of her chest. "If a sandwich joke comes out of your mouth I'll beat your aft, Stark. Don't think I can't."

"Oh, I believe you." He plucks out a wrench and returns to the back of the machine where he's removed a panel to reveal the belly of the beast. He sticks his arms in and then starts messing around with who knows what but Ari is definitely not moving any closer, not if he's anything like Wheeljack. The clanking noises don't help either. "How do you know Barton and Romanoff anyway?"

"They helped us with a problem we had a few years ago."

"That during the whole Anti-Alien fiasco?"

"Yeah. They spent a couple months with us helping to shut the organization down."

"So you guys got all chummy, huh?"

"Yep. So believe me when I say that I'll sic Natasha on you if you don't take a break right now and eat."

The clanking stops and he narrows his eyes at her, trying to gage how serious she is, but she's learned from Hawkeye and the Black Widow. She knows how to be intimidating with just a look and to be very, very patient when she wants to be. After a moment he sighs and drops the wrench, pulling over a stool in order to sit in front of his lunch. Ari arches a brow at him, waiting. He rolls his eyes and takes a dramatically big bite from his sandwich.

"So," he says around another mouthful, washing it down with a swig of water, "if you're all best buds with the spysassin twins, does that mean they know your big secret?"

Ari forces herself not to stiffen at the accusation. He can't seriously be talking about the AllSpark. He can't. But what else could he possibly be talking about? "And what secret would that be?"

He polishes off the sandwich, licking his fingers clean, "Tell me, what _is_ the AllSpark?"

She pushes away from the table, hands clenching at her sides so they don't shake and show just how nervous she is at having him so close to the truth. She wanted to do this on her terms but he's taking that from her. "Have you been _spying_ on us? Did Jarvis lie to me when I asked if there were actual cameras in my suite?"

"No," he scoffs. "Like Pepper would actually let me do that. It's only infrared in the suites and none of that is recorded or kept on an external server. Anything outside of the suites is fair game though, for security reasons. I've got cameras and I've got microphones, all backed up on several servers. Not to mention, there's Jarvis. He's constantly monitoring public areas. He spots anything fishy, he tells me right away. And your conversation a couple minutes ago in the common room set off some red flags. So spill."

"I've got nothing to say to you," Ari says with a stubborn set to her jaw. This is exactly the sort of thing she was afraid of. Stark isn't going to be understanding about her position. He's just going to needle and poke and prod until he gets what he wants. Even if that's not going to turn out well for her.

"Then how about we start out with what I know." He goes over to one of the holographic displays built into the workbench. He taps a few things on the surface and then a file comes up on the screen in the tabletop.

A file with the Sector Seven logo.

A few more taps and a 3D projection appears in the air.

The AllSpark cube.

"I go fishing through S.H.I.E.L.D. systems every once in a while," Stark explains. "You know, just out of curiosity. They like their secrets too much for my taste. I mean, what all are they hiding? I hate to use the word conspiracy, but is it really a conspiracy if it's true?" He flashes her a smile but Ari doesn't laugh. He just shrugs. "Anyway, I was sifting through some level five files a couple years ago and found some folders labeled Sector Seven. Little bit more digging showed that they were handling the Cybertronian case before what happened in Mission City shut them down. And they used to have this thing beneath Hoover Dam." He manipulates the projection with his hand to turn it this way and that, examining the Cybertronian markings on the Cube. "A S.H.I.E.L.D. after action report of the Mission City battle called it the AllSpark. So _tell me_ , Ms. Lennox, what is the AllSpark exactly?"

"And why the frag should I trust you?" she asks, feeling Sideswipe coil around her at her growing anger and anxiety. He'll be by her side in a split second if she needs it but she tells him to wait.

"I'm an Avenger. One of Earth's mightiest heroes. Why wouldn't you trust me?"

"That's very cocky of you. Just because you're a glorified superhero, that doesn't mean I'm about to trust you. I don't even know you."

"Sure you do. I'm Tony Stark. Iron Man."

"I know _of_ you, but I don't _know_ you. A name isn't everything of who you are. I've been betrayed by someone I thought I knew before. I'm not about to make that same mistake again."

Stark snorts derisively. "Please. What do you know about betrayal?"

"That problem Natasha and Clint helped us with? It was a mole within N.E.S.T. working for Anti-Alien." Ari swallows thickly. "B-Because of him I was kidnapped and tortured for over two days." That seems to snuff out the flame in Stark's ire and he goes silent, something that seems to be rare for him. "I know betrayal is something you're familiar with, too."

"Right," he says, heavy with sarcasm.

But she does know. The AllSpark showed her. It's not something she wants to shove back in his face but she will if she has to. "I know about Obadiah Stain, the family friend and father figure after your parents died when you were seventeen. You trusted him with your life and with your company. And then he tried to have you killed." Stark openly flinches at that, face going pale, but Ari keeps going. "He was double-dealing under the table, selling weapons to enemies of the U.S. without your say-so or knowledge. He wanted you out of the way, but you stopped him. You became Iron Man and killed Stain before he could do any more harm."

"You got a point to this?" Stark snaps.

"How do I know you won't be like Stain?" Ari asks softly, taking Stark by surprise. "You trusted that man more than anyone else and you couldn't see him for the snake he was. Now you have a hard time trusting anyone, even your teammates. You have no right to get mad at me for not wanting to trust anyone either. Until I know you're not a Stain, I'm keeping my secrets to myself."

"And how am I just supposed to trust you, huh? How do I know your big secret isn't putting all of us in danger?"

"Because Clint and Natasha know it and haven't said anything. You've trusted them with your life once before. If you can't take my word for it, then drudge up a modicum of that trust for them again." She steps closer to him, looking up into his hard eyes pleadingly. "My secret is dangerous, Stark, but it's more dangerous for _me_. This is just me keeping myself safe."

Stark studies her for a long time, face impassive. "You are a mystery, kid. I don't like mysteries."

Ari gives him a sad smile. "Well, you're just going to have to live with this one. A lot of work went into keeping it secret."

"That why I can't find your S.H.I.E.L.D. file anywhere?"

"Yep. Only I get to decide who knows the truth. And I will tell you, Stark. I'll tell all of you. But only when I know it's safe."

"And if whatever's going on with the Chitauri changes things?"

"If I am involved, then I am in a lot of danger." Ari sighs heavily, rubbing a finger between her eyes. "But I'm not going to worry about that. Not until I know for certain. So for now, are we good?"

Stark is quiet for another long moment and then reluctantly nods. "Yeah, squirt. We're good. For now."

Ari smiles, relieved. "Thank you."

The tension in the room washes away and Stark's cocky smile returns as he picks up his wrench again, sauntering back to the Chitauri machine. "Alright, alright, now get out of my lab, kid. I've got science to discover and things to explode."

Ari nods, making a quick exit before he decides to blow her up in frustration. She knows he isn't satisfied. He'll pretend in order to keep the peace, but it won't last long.

This definitely didn't go according to plan.

Frankly, the entire experience has her rattled and more uncertain than ever. She can understand where Stark is coming from. The woman he loves has been attacked for unknown reasons and he's afraid that whatever Ari is hiding will put her in even more danger. He just wants to protect Pepper.

The question is, if he decides Ari and the AllSpark are too much of a threat, what will he do to her?

There's nothing she can do about it now, though. Nothing she can do about anything, so she pushes it all to the back of her mind in an attempt to cling to what little hope she can that everything will be alright. It seems to be all she's been doing since this all started but again, what else can she do?

She goes to the common room, not wanting to be alone right now, and finds Steve there fresh from a shower surfing channels. He looks up at her hopefully when she enters and she can't help but laugh, taking the remote from him and putting on the next Disney movie. They're not even through the opening credits when Sideswipe's holoform appears on the couch right next to her. She's used to it, simply snuggling into his side as he wraps his arm around her, but Steve jumps a little.

Sideswipe snickers, but then he focuses on her through their bond, asking if she's alright. She tells him the truth, that things didn't go according to plan, but that there's nothing they can do to change anything now.

They both try to pay attention to the movie but the bond is abuzz with worry.

So it's a good thing that, by early evening, Jarvis reports that Dr. Bruce Banner is five minutes out on the Starkjet. Stark shows up in the common room completely ecstatic about the newcomer, dragging Pepper and a recently returned Phil along behind him.

Ari knows the basics of the doctor's history, both from the AllSpark and what's been in the media since New York. Banner has a PhD in nuclear physics but it's his research into gamma radiation specifically that brought the military to his doorstep. The military has been looking for a way to recreate the super soldier serum that turned stick-of-a-boy Steve Rogers into Captain America ever since the original serum was destroyed and its creator killed.

Both Banner and the military were convinced gamma radiation was the answer. No one knows if they're right yet because the experiment went very, very wrong.

Banner was blasted with a huge amount of gamma radiation during a lab accident and it…changed him. It created a being that has since been named the Hulk.

The Hulk and Banner are one and the same, in a way, though the way Ari understands it it's probably similar to someone having multiple personalities. When Banner gets angry or really worked up, Hulk comes out and Banner falls back to the sidelines of his mind. But Hulk doesn't just take over in mind. He takes over in body, Banner's flesh twisting and mutating. His skin turns green and he grows in size to about eight feet tall with muscles that rival even the buffest pro wrestlers.

She's seen footage of him crushing cars with a single fist.

People call him a monster because of the destruction he's caused, the Hulk tearing apart anything in his path every time he appears. But when Ari first sees Bruce Banner stepping off the elevator, she doesn't see a monster. Right now, she sees a man a little less than six feet with black curly hair going gray at the roots and tired brown eyes behind his glasses. He seems a bit skittish in his rumpled clothes, his hands wringing together.

It's hard to believe he has a large ball of destruction trapped inside of him. But based on the heartbeat monitor strapped on his wrist and the way he's careful to keep a distance from everyone, he's always aware, every second of every day.

Introductions are taken care of, and then Banner just looks at everyone curiously, eyes lingering on Phil. "Didn't you die?" he asks, scrutinizing the agent as if he can spot the scientific reason for Phil not being six feet under right now.

Phil sighs, explaining the situation _again_ , and Banner just shrugs it off a lot fragging better than any of the others had. Apparently, Banner and Phil didn't get to know each other very well during the lead-up to New York. Though, Ari gets the feeling that he doesn't allow himself to ever get to know anyone very well.

His nervousness reminds her a bit of what she was like, before she met Sideswipe. It makes her heart ache with the wish to make it better, but this isn't something she can just _make_ better. She knows that from experience.

"So," Banner drags the word out, eyes flitting from person to person, "I'm really not sure why I'm here. I mean, I was briefed on the way here and all but it's not like there's anything for me to smash."

He says the last of that self-deprecatingly. Based on the looks on the others' faces, she's not the only one rubbed the wrong way by it.

"We don't need you because of the Hulk, Dr. Banner," Phil explains. "We need your help to find out where the Chitauri are hiding before they decide to come after Ari and Pepper again."

Banner relaxes a little bit at that. "Right. What do we have so far?"

"Right this way, Bruce. I've got all the toys." Stark throws a casual arm across Banner's shoulders, leading him back towards the elevators. Banner tenses but follows, the elevator doors closing on them as they head towards the labs.

Steve sighs heavily, plopping down on the couch again. "I really thought we broke him out of this."

"What do you mean?" Ari asks, everyone gathering on the couches with him, movie completely forgotten.

"Dr. Banner believes the Hulk is dangerous," Phil says, "and that it makes Banner himself dangerous."

"He's right if you think about it," Natasha points out. "The Hulk has caused a lot of damage, both to buildings and people."

"That's no reason for him to treat himself like a leper though," Clint says.

"And it's not entirely true," Steve agrees. "Hulk was a big help during New York and he took orders just as well as the rest of us. He isn't all anger and death like he thinks."

"But he sometimes is," Natasha urges, "which is why other people fear him and he fears himself. He even pushed his girlfriend, Betty Ross, away. She hasn't seen him in a few years but I think she's still holding out hope."

Clint shakes his head. "He's gotten good control after all this time though. His accidental Hulk outs don't happen near as often as they did in the beginning. Would it really be so bad for him to rejoin the real world again instead of staying in isolation?"

No one has an answer to that. And it makes Ari a little queasy.

The Avengers are made up of extraordinary people, people strong enough to stave off an alien invasion all on their own. But even they have their demons.

They are an ex-Soviet assassin with a ledger dripping with blood, both the innocent and the guilty.

They are an ex-carnie who is also the greatest marksman in the world, but that gift comes with more nightmares than good stories.

They are a genius billionaire with his own skeletons in his closet, his own dripping ledger, who is just trying to make the world a better place after being stabbed in the back one too many times to make trust easy.

They are a soldier out of time, his body no long the same as what he was born into and no one around him familiar, making him completely alone.

And they are a genius scientist who is afraid of himself, always afraid of losing control and hurting others.

They all have demons. They are all broken people. And they all struggle to find answers to questions regarding their own lives.

How are they supposed to find the answers now, with the whole world at stake?

The sky suddenly goes dark with storm clouds, thunder rumbling and lightning striking within an alarming proximity. Everyone turns towards the windows in curiosity and worry at the growing storm, because this doesn't feel natural in the slightest. The hairs on their arms raise on end as they watch the clouds blot out the sun.

Then a beam of rainbow-colored light shines down from the sky, landing on the rooftop just beyond the windows, and Ari recognizes it as the Bifrost Nick described. The space bridge connected to Asgard.

It seems they have visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cliffhangers are back, yay!
> 
> *cough* Yeah, you all probably aren't as excited about that as I am. At least this one is a fairly mild one. We've got some more aliens on the way! That's right. Plural. I won't tell you more than that though. Spoilers. ;)
> 
> Next chapter, things start heating up.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	5. Of Gods and Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I am back after a long month for another chapter. Progress for this story is going well. I won't be updating any faster anytime soon unfortunately, not with Camp NaNoWriMo coming up, but I'm still writing strong. I can't wait for you guys to see some of these chapters. XD
> 
> As for this chapter, the rest of our Avengers team has finally arrived...plus one...
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Everyone stands in alarm as the Bifrost shoots down onto the rooftop, tense with anticipation of who is held within the rainbow lights. It has to be someone from Asgard since they are the only ones with the technology, but _who_ from Asgard is the question.

A few seconds later the light disappears as suddenly as it started, the storm clouds dissipating until it's as if they were never there, a sunny day once more. Where the beam of light touched down a delicate Celtic knot is now scorched onto the concrete roof, forming a large circle.

And in that circle stands Thor.

He seems even larger in real life, with broad shoulders, tall stature, and muscles even bigger than Steve's. His armor is made of metal and leather—or what Ari assumes is metal and leather—with a red cape hanging from his shoulders and the hammer Mjolnir hanging by a leather strap from his belt.

Steve approaches the windows, one of the panes of glass sliding away like an automatic door when he steps close, and he walks out onto the roof. Clint, Natasha, Pepper, and Phil follow right behind. Ari and Sideswipe follow, too, but they stay a bit back away from the group, allowing Thor to reunite with familiar faces first.

"Hello, my friends," Thor says, his deep voice easily carrying through the wind blowing across the roof. There's a bit of an accent in it, almost as if it's European of some sort. "It is good to see you all again."

"You too, Thor," Steve replies happily, taking the lead. "I take it you being here means you know what's going on?"

"I do. We have come to offer aid."

"We? Is someone with you?"

"Yes. Someone who has knowledge of our enemy." Thor hesitates, looking at them each pleadingly. "Please, do not be alarmed."

He steps aside, revealing that his massive form had been hiding someone standing behind him, another man. He's almost the exact opposite of Thor, thin and lanky and with long black hair flowing down to his shoulders like ink. He's pale from spending most of his time indoors instead of Thor's sun-kissed skin. He's without armor, wearing only a dark green shirt—like a peasant shirt—with leather pants and boots.

And manacles around his wrists, ones that are thick and strong. They look almost mechanical, like they're going to take a lot more than a simple key to get out of.

If the grainy news footage wasn't enough to recognize him, Ari knows who he is simply by his snide, condescending look that makes the angles of his face sharper and the shadows darker.

Loki.

Everyone moves at once.

Steve pulls Pepper behind him, shielding her with his body as his hands clench and unclench wishing for the shield that is sitting by the couch. Clint, Natasha, and Phil pull out their guns, aiming for Loki and not moving their weapons even as Thor steps back in front of him, blocking their shot

Sideswipe grabs Ari's hand and drags her close. She can feel his need to get away, to get her away, but she is stubborn in the placement of her feet. They're not going anywhere. They will see how this plays out first and then decide between fight or flight.

Thor really wouldn't bring a dangerous prisoner with him for no good reason…right?

"What the Pit, Thor?" Clint says. "What is he doing here?"

Thor holds out his hands calmingly. "Please, friends, just put down your weapons and I will explain."

"That's not happening," Tony says as he flies up beyond the edge of the roof in the Iron Man suit, voice tinny. He hovers in the air behind Thor, hands raised and aiming the white circles of the repulsor beams in his palms at Loki. "Explain now or I open fire. Your choice, Point Break."

"Do it, Thor," Steve insists. "Now."

The elevator dings, depositing Dr. Banner who walks up to stand next to Ari. She looks at Banner closely but he doesn't seem to be in danger of transforming into the Hulk. He's tense, but no more so than any of the rest of them.

Though, if Loki turns out to be dangerous, they may need the Hulk. The Hulk is the one who ultimately stopped Loki the last time.

And the potential for the Hulk seems to be the final push Thor needs. He lowers his hands and nods, though he doesn't move from his place in front of his brother. "As I said before, Loki and I are here to help."

"And what help could he have to offer?" Clint practically spits out.

"He knows of our current enemy, the one who has once again sent the Chitauri to Midgard."

"And we're just supposed to trust him?"

"Yes," Loki says, speaking for the first time as he steps around Thor to face all those who threaten to kill him. His voice has that same almost-European accent that Thor's does and it is completely steady and calm like the rest of him, like he's not currently being targeted by the deadliest people in the world. She can't tell if he's faking or really doesn't care. "If you value your lives and the lives of those who live in this pathetic realm, you will heed what I have to say."

"I say I shoot you in the eye like I promised before," Clint says with a deadly smirk. "I don't have my bow with me right now but I'm sure a bullet will do."

"There really is no need for this," Thor insists again, the stubbornness borne of being a prince coming to the surface. "Loki can harm no one."

"That's not what happened last time," Natasha says, gun never wavering.

"This time is different. The AllFather has bound Loki's magic, just as he bound my powers when I was first exiled to Midgard."

"So he's basically human?"

"Yes, and he will remain so until the time Odin sees fit to return his power."

Everyone stiffens, eying Loki critically. "And when will that be?" Stark asks.

Thor shrugs. "That is something only my father knows."

"Him being powerless still isn't a good enough reason to listen to him," Clint says. "How do we know anything that comes out of his mouth is the truth? He's known as the God of Lies."

"Because my mother, Frigga, is one of the most gifted sorceresses in all of Asgard and she has seen the truth in his story.

"Isn't she a little biased?" Stark asks. "You know, what with being Loki's mother, too, and all."

"She is _not_ my mother," Loki snarls, his face contorting like a rabid animal with his anger. Everyone's weapons are still trained on him vigilantly but he does no more, a dog that barks without the intention of biting.

Yet, anyway.

Thor sighs tiredly, like these are words he's often heard from his brother, but Ari doesn't understand why. Why would Loki deny his mother? Is it because of the things he's done? Has he disowned them or vice versa?

The door in her mind rattles, the AllSpark wanting to show her something, but not yet. Not yet. She can't let it in front of all these people.

After a moment Loki's composure returns to the smooth arrogance it was before without offering a single word in explanation even though he was so close to being shot yet again.

Long, silent seconds drag out and Stark clears his throat awkwardly. "Right. Whatever. So you're positive whatever Reindeer Games says is legit?"

Thor nods. "You have my word and the word of the queen of Asgard. Everything Loki has to say is the truth."

No one says anything, hesitating on just taking his word for it. Thor's face turns into a scowl and Ari just knows an argument is about to break out so she quickly intervenes. "We should at least hear what he has to say," she says, all eyes turning to her. "Any information would be better than the nothing we've got right now."

Another tense silence and then Steve, reluctantly, nods. "Stand down everyone."

"But-" Clint protests but Steve cuts him off.

"No, Ari's right. We're flying blind right now. We need all the intel we can get."

Phil is the first to lower his weapon, Natasha quickly following suit. She places a hand on Clint's outstretched arm and he growls, but then Natasha says something to him in a language even Ari doesn't know. Whatever it is, it gets him to put away his gun, too.

"Stark," Steve says, using the authoritative tone he must have learned in the army. "Stand down."

Finally, Stark lowers his hands, his repulsors powering down, and he drops onto the roof with a heavy clang. He moves towards the windows to head inside, his suit whirling as he walks, but he pauses right next to Thor. "If anything happens, it's on you. You're responsible for him."

Thor's jaw clenches. "I understand."

They all gather back in the living room, Thor pushing Loki by the shoulder down onto a recliner chair and standing beside him while everyone else takes seats on couches and chairs as far from Loki as possible. Stark exits the Iron Man suit and sits next to Pepper on a couch while the suit stays standing over them all like a sentinel, eyes glowing.

Even though they're sitting, no one is relaxed.

"So who are your companions?" Thor asks, breaking yet another tense silence.

"This is Ari Lennox," Pepper replies politely with a tight smile. "She was with me when the Chitauri attacked. We're not sure…we're not sure who they're after, her or me."

"Do you know?" Phil asks. "Do you know who they were after?"

"No," Thor says, crossing his arms in front of his massive chest. "We do not know why the Chitauri have been sent to attack you. But we do know of their master."

"And who is Lady Ari's companion?" Loki asks suddenly, eyes roving over Sideswipe in fascination.

Sideswipe stiffens, squeezing Ari's hand tighter. "The name's Sideswipe."

"Sideswipe. Interesting name." Loki leans back in his seat, placing his handcuffed hands in his lap casually. "You are not human, are you?"

"And you know that how?"

"There is a strange…sense around you. An aura. This is only a projection. Tell me, what does your true form look like?"

"Thor, I thought you said Loki's powers are bound?" Stark asks, almost in warning.

Thor straightens, like a lion being threatened by an invading predator. "His powers are bound but that does not stop his instincts. Loki has always been able to sense magic, as do all Asgardians, even those without any training."

"But the holoform isn't magic," Ari says, unable to help but be curious. "It's technology."

"On Asgard, science and magic are one and the same," Loki supplies with a casual shrug. "It is all simply a manipulation of energy." His eyes drift back to Sideswipe, hungry for knowledge. "So, tell me, if this human form is not what you truly look like, then what are you?"

"Cybertronian," Sideswipe says, seeing no need to keep it secret. "I'm a Cybertronian from the planet Cybertron."

Loki's eyes widen almost imperceptibly and he grins, like a cat watching a mouse squirm. "Fascinating."

"Enough," Steve orders before he can say more. "We can all share stories later. Right now we need to focus on the enemy. Loki, what can you tell us?"

Loki's smile fades a little but he shows no other sign of disappointment. "Very well. The enemy we face is ancient, more ancient than any of us here except for maybe some of Sideswipe's brethren."

"And his name?"

Loki's smile completely fades now, his voice growing almost cold, like ice. "Thanos."

Ari shivers as one of her doors cracks open despite her efforts to keep it closed, the AllSpark all but shoving a picture of Thanos at her. He is large, almost as large as Sideswipe, with blocky features that remind her of a gorilla and purple skin. His smile is psychotic, his eyes gleaming with chaos, and she can see how he got his nickname.

The Mad Titan.

"Thanos is a very powerful being," Loki continues, "a master of magic and technology even more powerful than myself, or even Odin. Normally, he resides in a realm on the very outskirts of the most distant galaxy, but now he has begun to move, coming here to Midgard with his Chitauri, rebuilt after their defeat."

"What's he after then?" Stark asks. "If he's as powerful as you say he is, then why does he even care about us?"

"Thanos is after what he has always been after—the Infinity Stones."

The door in Ari's mind bursts open the rest of the way and she squeezes Sideswipe's hand in a death grip, trying not to react outwardly. Inside, her mind is a chaotic mass of images.

Darkness.

An explosion of light.

And then six stones, gems like raw crystals each a different color. Yellow, purple, blue, orange, red, and green.

"What are the Infinity Stones?" she hears Banner ask but she's having a hard time paying attention. The AllSpark has taken her back to a time she's never been allowed to see before. It's the beginning of…everything. This is how the AllSpark first started its mission to create the universe.

"Before the universe began there were six singularities," Loki explains, "and when the universe exploded into existence these singularities were concentrated into six stones of immense power."

Ari can see them, the stones. They were created by the AllSpark. The AllSpark used them in order to bring the universe into being. All it needed was that one spark and time and space began.

"The Tesseract is one, the Space Stone, used to traverse great distances of space in an instant."

"And what does Thanos want with them?"

"Any one stone has the power to eliminate entire civilizations. Thanos wishes to wield all six, making him the most powerful being ever to have existed."

"Is that even possible?" Steve asks. "Anyone I've ever seen touch the Tesseract died. They disintegrated as soon as they touched it."

"Only beings of great power themselves have ever been able to directly wield an Infinity Stone, and that was only ever for mere moments."

Ari can see them, every single time someone has tried to mess with one of these stones. There one minute, and then instantly upon skin contact they become nothing more than a pile of dust. The stones contain such a powerful energy, without something to properly direct it they become too unstable.

"Is that why you were able to do it?"

Loki snorts. "You flatter me. I have power, but nothing as great as what I speak of. I wielded the Tesseract through technology and that is how Thanos plans to wield them all, through a gauntlet of his own design. He created it thousands of years ago but was stopped by Odin before he could use it. Odin then took the Infinity Stones and scattered them across the branches of Yggdrasil."

The AllSpark tries to show her more but she forces the door shut, shaking her head and rubbing her forehead with her fingertips like she's trying to rub the images away. She doesn't have time for this right now, not with all of these people watching her.

And she does feel eyes.

Looking up, she sees Loki staring at her curiously, one dark brow rising in question. She drops her hand, mumbling about a headache and diverts her eyes.

That's the last thing she wants, to make someone like him curious about her.

"So why have the Chitauri attacked now?" Sideswipe asks, drawing Loki's attention away. "They're the same army you used, right? Why is Thanos using them now?"

Loki's jaw clenches. "The Chitauri are artificial beings, abominations created by a combination of biology, machinery, and magic connected to a device that links them in a hive mind. Stark destroyed the hive device during the last battle but Thanos has since made another, as well as replenished the Chitauri's numbers. You see, they were never my army. The Chitauri belong to Thanos."

"So you work for Thanos?" Steve asks, his tone warning Loki against any attempt at lying.

Loki is silent, a silence that speaks so many words but Ari doesn't understand what it's trying to say. It's hard to read someone like him. Loki is a master at the mask, even better than Phil or Nick or even Natasha. He's been doing it for centuries.

And yet she can see guilt in his green eyes. It's just a flash, so fast she thinks she's maybe seeing things, but she's pretty sure it really was there.

Why would he feel guilty?

"I did work for Thanos," Loki admits, all traces of guilt gone but there's also no pride. There's no haughtiness of what he almost accomplished, taking over an entire planet. There's only...nothingness. Like the nothingness of space. "He wanted me to help him collect the Infinity Stones. He gave me the scepter—granting me extraordinary power—and then he tapped into the Tesseract remotely using a spell in order to send me to Midgard. I was to retrieve the Tesseract and bring it to him, and in exchange he allowed me control of his army to take over this realm. I have had no contact with him since my defeat."

"So how do we know he's here now?" Banner asks. "How do we know he isn't just lending out his army again?"

"Because both Loki and my mother sensed Thanos's magic," Thor replies, "all the way from Asgard. He is here, on Midgard, and he brought the Chitauri with him."

"So when they just showed up at Stark Industries...," Stark prompts.

"Thanos used a simple transportation spell," Loki finishes. "It would be easy for one as powerful as him to transport any number of people anywhere within a single realm."

"So he could be anywhere on Earth." Ari sighs. "But what is he after? Why attack Pepper and me? Does he want something from one of us?"

"My theory is that he is after Lady Pepper," Loki says, eyes casually looking Pepper over until she squirms and Stark drapes an arm around her shoulders to pull her into his side. Loki smirks. "He probably wishes to use her as leverage to get the scepter."

"You mean the one Thanos gave you and you stabbed me with?" Phil asks, voice like steel.

"Precisely." Loki's curious gaze turns to Phil. "Which begs the question, how are you still alive?"

Phil's mouth thins. "Not important. What does Thanos want with the scepter?"

"It houses the Mind Stone, which can be used to twist the minds of all those it touches into following the will of the wielder. It is how I manipulated several Midgardians into working for me during the time leading up to the invasion, including Dr. Selvig and Agent Barton here."

Ari barely stifles her gasp, eyes flying to Clint. He clenches his jaw, gaze focused on the floor and not looking at anybody.

He never told her. He never said that Loki basically mind controlled him before the Battle of New York. What did Loki make him do that Clint would never feel comfortable talking about it with her?

What did Loki do to cause the shame so blatantly streaked across Clint's face right now?

Anger coils inside her like a venomous serpent, an anger not her own though she is definitely angry. She rubs her thumb along Sideswipe's where they still hold hands, trying to soothe him along their bond.

She wants to be angry at what Loki has done to her friend, her brother. She wants to yell and scream.

But then she sees that spark of guilt again. A part of her wonders if it's part of some act of his but she can't see a point to it. As far as she can tell, no one else noticed, too blinded by their anger. Even Thor doesn't seem to have noticed.

So why?

"We must get the scepter," Thor says gravely, getting everyone back on track, "before Thanos locates it."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has it," Phil says, "locked away in the Triskelion where our scientists have been studying it. But they've never detected any stone."

"It's there," Loki insists. "Trust me."

Clint snorts. "Not likely. But we don't have a lot of choice, do we?"

"No, we don't," Steve sighs, getting to his feet. "Banner, Stark, you keep working on finding the Chitauri and Thanos. Barton, Coulson, we'll head to the Triskelion to pick up the scepter."

"I should go with you as well," Thor says, his deep voice invoking the power of his royalty. "The scepter is far too dangerous to be left in mortal hands. Had I known what it contained, I never would have left it here."

"That's not your call," Stark says as he stands, placing a hand on the shoulder of the Iron Man suit. "The scepter is a dangerous weapon, used against _us_. You can't really expect us to just hand it over."

"Asgard will be able to keep the scepter from ever being used again."

"That's not good enough."

"Enough!" Pepper snaps, sharp eyes darting from Stark to Thor. "You can argue about this later. Right now, just get the scepter here." Thor opens his mouth to say something more but Pepper beats him to it. "Please, Thor. Just let them handle it. For now, take Loki to one of the guest suites. You'll both be comfortable there."

"Romanoff, go with them," Steve orders, side-eying Loki. "Keep an eye on him. I don't want him left on his own, not even for a second."

"I plan nothing nefarious," Loki claims with a smug smile. "Nothing this time at least."

"Well, sorry if we don't believe you," Natasha says, rising to her feet without a lick of apology in her bones and moving towards the elevators. "Right this way, boys."

"Jarvis, you keep an eye on him, too," Stark says, watching with unease as the three enter the elevator. Loki walks with an air of royalty, even though he's still handcuffed.

"Of course, Sir," Jarvis readily replies.

As soon as the elevator returns the others get on to either go to the labs or to the hanger, leaving Ari, Sideswipe, and Pepper the only ones left in the common room.

Ari sighs, sinking back into the couch cushions. "So, I guess I have nothing to do with this after all."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Pepper says, biting her lip in uncertainty. "We can't exactly take Loki's word for it, not after everything he's done, but even he said it was just a guess."

"Either way, we're still going to help," Sideswipe says. "We won't just pack up and go."

Pepper smiles. "Well, that's a relief. From what it sounds like, we have a really bad storm coming."

"Probably one of the worst we've ever faced," Ari says, looking out the windows at the clear blue skies and imagining all the people down below, all the civilians around the world. None of them know what's coming. They don't either, not really, but at least they know danger is approaching. Everyone else in the world...they don't have a clue.

The world could end tomorrow and they won't have a clue.

But they have to keep it that way, for as long as possible. This truth would do a lot more harm than a thousand lies.

"There's something that's bothering me, though," Ari says quietly.

"What?" Sideswipe asks.

"Something about Loki, I don't know, just seems off to me. Like he's hiding something."

"Well, it definitely wouldn't surprise me."

Ari just hums thoughtfully in response, still gazing out the window. There are a lot of things she doesn't know, a lot of questions she needs answered.

And she knows just where to find the truth.

* * *

Back in their guest suite, Ari feels like thumping her head against the wall, cursing out her AllSpark marks in every language she knows.

All alone, without anyone around to ask questions she doesn't want to answer, the AllSpark is refusing to let her look at what it was trying to show her earlier.

"Primus is messing with me, I swear he is," Ari mumbles in frustration. "I'm going to have to do this the hard way."

"Ari, please don't do what I think you're going to do," Sideswipe says, a bit of pleading in his voice.

"Don't worry, Sides, I have a plan."

Well, more like she knows what she has to do, not really a plan on how to do it.

How is she supposed to get an alien prisoner alone when just about everyone is constantly watching him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much stuff this chapter, you guys, I don't even know where to begin. Thor and Loki are on the scene plus we've gotten our first look (kind of) and our bad guy. Thanos, the Mad Titan. One of the very big bads of the Marvel Universe, if you don't already know. And he's after the Infinity Stones. It was interesting trying to meld the two universes this chapter. I took the bit about the "singularities" from Guardians of the Galaxy and then meshed it with the knowledge that the AllSpark created pretty much everything. Hope it makes sense.
> 
> And Loki, he's going to play a very big role in the chapters to come. What is he hiding? Something nefarious? Nothing at all? Only time will tell, but Ari is determined to find out his secrets. The AllSpark isn't helping, of course. Primus (and me for that matter) loves to make her do it the hard way. :D
> 
> But now that we have a look at the new baddie, next chapter brings the arrival of some old ones.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	6. We Stand Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to do this days ago. Sorry. Life has been quite hectic lately, and this month started Camp NaNoWriMo. I gave myself a low word count goal of 20,000 but it's still a challenge to write over 600 words every day.
> 
> But this story is still coming along very nicely. I'm liking where it's going and I think I've got over half of it written already. With any luck, updates will be picking up in the next 2-3 months. We'll just have to wait and see how my muse is doing.
> 
> Speaking of my muse, I had a completely different chapter written for this chapter originally. They're going into battle and I originally had Ari staying behind but then my muse was like, what the frag are you doing? Ari wouldn't put up with that! She'd be prepared for Decepticons at any given moment and she'd totally go with!
> 
> So, yeah, I rewrote this chapter in, like, three days. But I do like it better than the other one.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

"Ms. Lennox, there appears to be a situation," Jarvis says with such heavy foreboding that Ari instantly pauses the movie she and Sideswipe had been watching to pass the time after dinner.

"What's going on?" she asks, worry niggling at her stomach. "It's not Loki, is it?"

"No. Captain Rogers, Agent Barton, and Agent Coulson are on route back to the Tower from the Triskelion in the Starkjet. They have reentered New York City airspace but are currently under fire."

"Who is it? More Chitauri?"

"No. It appears to be the Decepticons."

Ari and Sideswipe jump to their feet, though deep surprise fills them both. It's been months since the last Decepticon siting. "Elevator, Jarvis. Now."

Sideswipe's holoform blinks out and the elevator doors open just as Ari reaches them, taking the elevator up to her suite. She meets up with Sideswipe in the bedroom, where he's already got her duffle bag on the bed and is pulling out her gear. Sideswipe called her paranoid when she packed the uniform and weapons she got from her favorite spies.

Is it really paranoia when she turns out to be right?

She quickly strips, changing into her leather N.E.S.T. uniform while Sideswipe fills her utility belt with the garrote, tazer, and knives, her glock going into its thigh holster. Sideswipe gets her feet into combat boots while she gets her belt and holster on, pulling her hair up into a pony tail and double checking she has her bracelets and pendant.

Their eyes meet when he stands again, their worry and fear crackling across the bond. Ari pushes herself up on her toes, pressing a hasty kiss to his lips. "See you in the garage?" she says when they pull away.

"Already got my alt mode in the freight elevator," Sideswipe says, kissing her one last time before blinking out.

She jogs back towards the elevator, taking it down to the garage and making it just as Sideswipe pulls up. She slides into the driver's seat and then they're racing out into the city. It's night out but with all the city lights it's still quite bright, so unlike the sea of darkness the fields around the farmhouse turn into with only the moon and stars. She loves the fields of Nebraska but this is a different kind of beautiful.

They don't get time to appreciate the beauty, though. Sideswipe is driving fast, swerving through all the crazy New York traffic towards a red glow several blocks away, smoke billowing into the light-soaked sky.

"Are you ready for this?" Sideswipe asks through the radio. Booms begin to grow in the distance, the sounds of blaster fire. He rounds a corner and then there they are.

The Starkjet is still in the air, thank Primus. The fire is coming from a storefront that got hit a little ways down the street. Stark has already arrived in his Iron Man suit, hovering next to the jet just above the skyscrapers. Both are firing at a pair of Decepticons, civilians running in the streets around them, but it doesn't appear to do much good. Neither of them are equipped with the right kind of ammo to cause much more than a dent in the Cybertronian armor.

But Ari recognizes the armor of one of the Decepticons, styled like a police cruiser—Barricade.

"So Cade's finally decided to crawl out from whatever rock he was sniveling under," Sideswipe snarls. "And he's not alone."

"Let's go stuff them back under it," Ari says, drawing her gun.

Sideswipe transforms while still in motion, Ari moving with him and hanging onto one of his hands. He slings her forward and she touches the ground, rolling with the momentum right into a run. She raises her gun but she's too late. Barricade lifts a large grappling gun, aims, and fires. The pilot of the Starkjet—probably Clint—tries to evade but the hook catches one of the wings. With a sharp yank on the rope Barricade brings the jet crashing down to the ground, the asphalt road buckling into a crater.

Ari's heart leaps in her throat but she swallows it back down and fires at the back of Barricade's head. A glock isn't enough to do any damage but it does provide a lovely distraction.

Barricade rounds on her, red optics narrowing.

Ari holsters her gun, activating her blades on both wrists. "Come on, Cade! I think I owe you a beating, long overdue!"

Barricade growls and launches himself at her. Ari rolls out of the way, placing herself between Barricade and the downed Starkjet.

She hears the _shing_ of Sideswipe's blades extending but she forces herself to focus. So long as she doesn't feel any pain from him—so long as he doesn't ask her for help—she has to assume he's fine.

Barricade comes at her again, his arm sweeping wide, and she dodges to the left, bringing up one of her blades to slice right into a gap in the armor of his hand. He lets out a pained snarl, yanking his hand back and stumbling. She takes her chance, advancing towards him to swipe at his leg. He jerks away from her, making her miss the main energon artery but she does manage to sever a few wires that make something in his leg lock up. He limps back further, yelling something in Cybertronian and Ari's eyes go wide.

"He's calling backup!" Ari shouts, backing up towards the jet wreckage.

Two Decepticons climb down from nearby buildings, converging on them. Barricade grins, teeth pointed and sharp.

"Someone say something about backup?" someone shouts and Ari feels relief flood down the bond. Sunstreaker skates around the corner, plunging a blade into the back of one of the Decepticons and tackling the second. Sideswipe manages to finish off his Decepticon and then goes after Barricade, leaving Ari with a few precious seconds.

She turns to the Starkjet where Clint, Phil, and Steve are climbing their way out through the cargo door, mostly unscathed. Clint has his bow ready, Steve his shield, and Phil carries an assault rifle that must have been on the jet. "What do you guys think you're doing?"

"What's it look like?" Steve asks, decked out in his full Captain America uniform. His jaw is set in a stubborn line beneath the cowl. "We're going to help."

"No, you're not," Ari replies, just as stubborn. "None of you have training, not even Clint, though Clint and maybe Phil could at least shoot at the optics. But you? What do you think that shield of yours is going to do? I know it's made of the toughest metal on the planet but all it's going to do to these Decepticons is scratch up their paint."

"It's better than nothing. At least it'll be a distraction."

"What it'll do is get you killed."

"And what do you think you're going to do?"

"If you haven't noticed, I actually have training, and I've fought Decepticons before." Rumbling in the ground makes her turn, just in time to see three more Decepticons coming their way. Stark fires at the newcomers but he's more of an annoying gnat to them. "Just stay out of sight. If any Decepticons come too close, take the scepter and try to find better cover. We've got this."

One of the Decepticons goes towards Sunny and two towards Sideswipe, who is still battling Barricade. They grab Sideswipe from behind, flinging him off of Barricade and to the ground.

She runs towards them at a dead sprint, calling out to Sideswipe along their bond.

Stark fires at the Decepticons with what looks like a missile, finally doing some real damage and taking a chunk of a shoulder out of one. He probably doesn't have enough missiles to go around but it does at least give Sideswipe enough time to get to his feet. As he stands he reaches back towards her without looking.

Ari takes his hand and he flings her into the air towards the hurt Decepticon, flinging himself at the other. Ari is breathless for a moment, the wind whipping past her, and it feels like she's flying.

And then she's colliding with the Decepticon with a solid _thunk_ , grabbing onto whatever she can so she's clinging to the Decepticon's back, high up towards his neck.

Making it easy for her to slice through the main energon artery and offlining him in an instant.

Suddenly, the Decepticon is dead weight, a hunk of metal swaying on legs that can no longer stand. Ari uses her body weight to tilt the Decepticon forward, making him fall on his face. She rides him down, jumping off at the last minute to land on her feet next to him.

A loud truck horn blares through the air, one Ari recognizes, and the tension leeches off her back.

Optimus drives around the corner in his semi-truck alt mode, all of the Autobots and a full N.E.S.T. team right behind him. The Autobots transform and Ari backs away out of the melee, deactivating her blades. She's not needed anymore. The fight ends in a matter of seconds as the Autobots make quick work of the remaining Decepticons.

Except for Barricade, she notices when the dust settles. He's not among the bodies. He must have run away, again, like the coward he is.

Sideswipe kneels next to her, brushing a finger against the side of her face and silently asking if she's alright. She gives a small nod, closing her eyes and leaning into the touch for just a moment as she gets the same reassurance from him along the bond.

It had been close, but they're all okay.

"Ari!" someone shouts and her eyes snap open, finding Will climbing out of one of the armored N.E.S.T. vehicles.

"Dad!" She runs towards him and they collide together in a much needed-hug. Will wraps her up tightly in his arms, her fingers digging into the back of his black N.E.S.T. uniform.

"Primus, it's good to see you, kiddo," he says against the top of her head.

They haven't seen each other in person since she left on her search for a good technological company to pair the Autobots with. They've talked on the phone practically every day but it's not the same. She holds on just a little bit tighter. "You too, dad."

"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine. Promise."

"Who is Chief Medical Officer?" Ratchet asks, who is already subjecting Sides and Sunny to scans, twin sour looks on their faces.

Ari sighs, pulling away from Will to allow Ratchet to pick her up for the scan. "You are."

"Hey, squirt, hurry up," Stark says, landing on the ground near Ratchet's feet with a _clank_. The mask of the Iron Man suit opens up to reveal his face. "We need to get out of here before people realize the fun is over and start getting nosey."

"A S.H.I.E.L.D. unit is already on its way," Phil reassures, coming over with Clint and Steve. "They'll contain the scene and keep civilians back."

"We should still leave soon," Steve says, nodding towards the scepter held in Phil's gloved hands. "Get that thing back to the Tower."

"Is that what I think it is?" Ratchet asks, eying the scepter warily while finishing up his scan and setting Ari down again.

For something so deadly, it's quite beautiful, with soft, curving metal that reminds her of the Matrix. There's a glowing blue sphere at the top of the shaft right at the base of the spear blade. That must be where the Infinity Stone is encased. It doesn't look like it has the power to bend the minds of others.

Though Ari doesn't look like she contains the power of the AllSpark, so there is that. She should know better by now not to underestimate appearances.

"Unfortunately, yes, it is" she says.

Will sighs. "I take it things got a lot more complicated since your call yesterday."

"I wanted to wait for you to get here before explaining everything else. It's…a lot."

"We'd better get going then. You can explain along the way."

* * *

The Autobots and N.E.S.T. vehicles find places to park among all of Stark's expensive cars in a private level of the Tower garage. Stark flies in with them as well, landing on the concrete floor with a solid _thunk_.

They get out, finding Banner, Natasha, Thor, and Loki standing in front of the elevator waiting for them. Natasha goes straight for Clint, neither of them touching the other but content enough to just be close to each other.

Ari knows what that feels like, her husband being in danger and not being able to do anything to help him. But Natasha needed to keep guarding Loki and it's not like she would have been able to help much anyway.

"So everything went okay?" Natasha asks, looking her partner up and down before eying everyone else.

"Yeah, mostly," Ari replies, leaning against Sideswipe's alt mode. "The rest of N.E.S.T showing up certainly helped. We all made it out okay."

"That's good," Banner says, fiddling with his glasses before perching them on his nose again. "And I'm glad the H…the Other Guy really wasn't needed."

Ari smiles softly, wishing there was something she could say or do to make any mention of the Hulk less…painful for the doctor. Instead, she changes the topic by saying, "I didn't expect Decepticons, though. They've been lying low for so long. Why would they come out of hiding now?"

Something in his face loosens a little bit. "I think the real question is, why did they attack the Starkjet?"

"Are you thinking it was targeted for a reason?"

"I was thinking it, too," Steve says. "They didn't go after you in the Tower, they didn't go after the Autobots and N.E.S.T. team on their way into the city. They came after us. And I'm thinking it was because of the scepter."

"How would they even know you guys had the scepter?" Stark asks skeptically, still inside his Iron Man suit. "It's not like we told anyone about it."

Sideswipe nudges Ari forward and she moves out of his way so he can transform. The garage has a semi-tall ceiling but it's still a bit cramped, forcing Sideswipe to hunch over a little in order to stand. "What if we did tell them about it," he says, kneeling down so he's more on their level, "and we just didn't know it?"

"What do you mean?" Ari asks, returning to leaning against Sideswipe's side.

"I mean I think..." He trails off, noticing the way Steve, Stark, and Banner are staring at him, almost numbly. "Uh...you guys okay?"

Banner swallows thickly. "Yeah, just…big."

"And metal," Steve says just as hollowly, truly taking him in for the first time without the adrenaline of battle.

"He looks like a robot," Stark adds, even though today isn't his first time seeing Sideswipe. "Maybe Japanese."

"Well, he's not," Ari reminds them, just daring anyone to say anything negative. "The Autobots are living and breathing, just like the rest of us."

"I say they're _fascinating_ ," Loki says, filled with wonder like a little kid discovering something for the first time. He approaches Sideswipe without hesitation or fear, only curiosity. "So this is your true form as a Cybertronian?"

"Yep," Sideswipe says, a bit awkwardly.

"I have read of Cybertronians in the scrolls of Asgard's library, though nothing of what your people looked like. The texts were ancient, even older than the AllFather, and hard to decipher. But I did make out tales of a war that left the planet uninhabitable. I thought the entire race extinct, until today."

"No, not extinct," Optimus says, transforming to kneel beside Sideswipe. If the garage is almost too small for Sideswipe, then it definitely is for Optimus, making the rest of them feel small. "Our planet was left uninhabitable because of the war, but we did not die with it. We simply left."

"To come here, of all places?" Loki sneers, sounding unimpressed.

"They had their reasons," Ari hedges, not wanting to get into detail with someone like him. "But yes, most of the survivors have come to Earth. And as you can see, their war is still very much alive. Humans have gotten caught up in the war since they've arrived but we're not alone. We have the Autobots. But they're more than just our teammates. They're our friends."

Steve points a tentative finger up at Sideswipe. "Sideswipe?"

"Yep, it's me," Sideswipe says, giving an encouraging smile.

He nods slowly "Right…It's just…hard to believe you're the same person, that the you I met before was just a…projection."

"They're really not that different," Ari says, looking up at Sideswipe and Optimus with a smile. "The more you get to know them, the more you'll see that. They're not that different from us at all."

Steve takes in a deep breath and then lets it out, his shoulders sagging with it. "Well, you guys did save our lives. That makes you okay in my book."

Banner just shrugs with a small nod. "I suppose it's not the…strangest thing I've ever seen."

"You guys still owe me an explanation for how the whole holoform thing works," Stark says flippantly, though nowhere near as forced as he's been before.

Ari smiles, relieved to see that these people may be able to accept the Autobots for what they are. Though, perhaps she shouldn't be surprised. They are each quite strange themselves, after all.

Phil rolls his eyes, the showiest thing Ari's ever seen him do when in work mode. "Anyway, Sideswipe, you were saying? Do you think we have a breach?"

Sideswipe nods. "Yeah, I was thinking maybe the Decepticons have hacked into the Tower's system and have been listening in."

"Nuh uh, no way," Stark insists. "No one can get past Jarvis."

"The Decepticons aren't just anyone," Ari reminds him. "It's something we should at least look into, just in case."

"Fine. Whatever. I'll get started on that as soon as we take care of _that_." He points to the scepter, still held in Phil's hands.

"Not so fast," Thor says, him and Loki blocking the way to the elevator. "You should give me the scepter so that I may take it to Asgard. It will be safe from Thanos there."

Stark balks. "You really think we're just going to hand it over to you? Sorry, but reuniting Loki with the scepter isn't on my to-do list today."

"Loki will not touch the scepter. You have my word."

"Can you really guarantee he won't get his hands on it eventually? Probably the first chance he gets he'll nab the Mind Stone and take it back to his good buddy Thanos."

"Thanos is not my _buddy_ ," Loki snarls, making everyone's hands reflexively reach for weapons. "I am no friend of his. I never have been nor will I ever be. Do not speak of that which you do not understand."

"Then help us to understand," Ari says, approaching Loki cautiously. He may be handcuffed but she still doesn't trust that he isn't dangerous. But she feels that this is important. "Who is Thanos to you?"

He shakes his head, mouth twisted in an ugly expression. "That is none of your concern, little girl."

"It is my concern if it has anything to do with what's going on. You keeping secrets about Thanos isn't going to help anyone, not even yourself. We need to know as much about him as possible if we're going to stop him."

"Thanos is cruel and manipulative," Loki spits out, hands clenched. "That is all you need to know. He will find a way retrieve the Mind Stone if it remains here. The safest place for it is in the palace vault on Asgard."

His hate towards Thanos surprises her. They worked together, and being cruel and manipulative is something Loki is familiar with. His concern with Thanos getting the Stones is strange, but she sets those thoughts away for later. "And what's to keep him from just getting it there?"

"The palace vault is impenetrable," Thor says. "Thanos will never be able to get inside."

"Then why weren't the Infinity Stones kept there to begin with if that's the safest place for them?" Ari asks. "Why separate them at all?"

"Because the AllFather decided the Infinity Stones were too powerful and dangerous to all be kept in one place. If anyone ever did manage to break into the vault-"

"Then they'd all be in one place ripe for the pickings. And you want to put them all in one place now." Thor's mouth snaps shut. "You already have the Tesseract in the vault, don't you? The Mind Stone would make two out of six. And I'm guessing your plan for stopping Thanos was to just round them all up and stash them in the vault, am I right?"

Neither Thor nor Loki say anything.

"You're right, Thanos is manipulative. He'll probably just wait until the Infinity Stones are all together again and then grab them in one go."

"He'd never reach them," Thor insists.

"Yes, he would," Loki says, finally losing the haughty air for once. It makes Thor pause and blink at him in surprise. "Do you not recall? I myself helped a few Frost Giants break into the vault. They never made it out alive but surely someone as powerful as Thanos would have much more success."

"Which means the Stones aren't really safe anywhere," Ari says. "Hence why they were split up, I'm sure. If someone got a hold of one, at least they wouldn't have the rest."

"Then how do we keep the scepter away from Thanos?" Steve asks. "How do we stop him?"

"We do it by standing together," Optimus says simply. "It is my understanding that those who stand here are some of the universe's finest warriors. If anyone has a hope of defeating someone as strong as this Thanos, it is us. Stay with us, Thor. Fight with us. Let us help you. Do not try to do this on your own."

"Asgard can handle this," Thor says tightly.

"Fine," Steve says, stepping up to stand almost toe to toe with Thor. "Tell me right now that Asgard truly can handle this. Tell me that you can defeat Thanos and we'll let you go, but you better be one hundred percent certain because this isn't just your planet at stake. Ours is, too, along with the rest of the universe."

Thor's jaw clenches as he stares at Steve, not breaking contact for the longest time, but then he looks to Loki questioningly showing the first traces of doubt. Ari isn't sure why he would ask Loki's opinion. He's a liar with no real vested interest in helping them. In any case, Loki shakes his head and Thor sighs. "Very well. We will remain on Midgard with the scepter. Whatever Thanos is planning, we will stop him together."

"'We'?" Stark asks. "Loki isn't staying. He's not invited. Send him back home so he can continue his timeout."

Loki narrows his eyes at him. "I am not a child."

"No, but you're acting like one," Ari says and then turns to Stark before he can respond. "He should stay."

The faceplate on the Iron Man suit pops up and Stark looks at her like she has two heads. " _Why_?"

"Because he has valuable information about Thanos we can use. He's spent time with him. Knows him. He could tell us about his abilities, strengths, weaknesses. Things we could use."

"Fine," Stark says begrudgingly. "Whatever. But he doesn't go anywhere without an escort and if he gives us any false information I'm giving him to Hulk."

Loki audibly gulps and Stark smirks in satisfaction before turning to the Autobots and N.E.S.T. soldiers. "So, who are the rest of my houseguests and what am I going to do with you?"

Will steps forward—him and the others having been watching on in silence—offering a hand to shake. "Colonel William Lennox, sir. I'm leader of N.E.S.T.'s human division."

Stark takes his hand, looking between him and Ari. "So, are you Lennox as in..."

"Yeah," Ari says, quickly moving to Will's side for another hug. "He's my dad."

Will kisses the top of her head before saying amusedly, "I'd pass you off to Rob but I think he's a little busy."

She looks over his shoulder at Rob, who's standing back with the rest of the soldiers. A lot of them are sneaking glances at the Avengers trying to act like they aren't, some of them are openly watching Loki warily, and then there's Rob, staring at the Avengers with a star-struck look on his face.

She can practically hear him telling himself to act cool and not to fanboy in front of them.

"Come here, Rob," Ari says, trying not to laugh and holding out her arms to him. "Give me a hug and maybe I can talk them into giving you their autographs."

"Huh, what?" he says distractedly, his eyes drawing away from the group of superheroes to her. "I wasn't doing nothing."

"Uh huh." Ari rolls her eyes, going over to Rob and wrapping an arm around his waist so she can guide him forward. "So why is there a little drool on your chin?"

Rob wipes at his mouth, making everyone laugh, and he shoots her a dirty look. "Not funny."

"It's a little bit funny," Will says, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "This is my right hand man, Chief Master Sergeant Robert Epps."

"Hi," Rob says, plastering on a smile, and Ari is sure he'd be bright red if his skin wasn't dark. "How you doing?"

"We're doing swell," Steve says, fighting off a smirk. "But how about we save the autographs until after introductions?"

"Why wait?" Stark asks with a grin. "I love autographs. Everyone starts talking about me."

Steve gives him a disappointed look. "Really, Stark?"

Stark rolls his eyes. "Fine, fine. Suck all the fun out of everything with your manners. Let's at least get to the aliens, though."

"I apologize for him," Steve says with a sigh.

Clint snorts. "Pretty sure Stark being an aftpipe is public knowledge, Cap. Don't worry about it."

Ari claps her hands together, turning towards the large group of Autobots and soldiers. "Anyway, introductions.

Suffice it to say, it takes a while, Jazz chiming in about wanting autographs not helping. Phil escapes all the chaos by going up to Stark's lab to put the scepter in a secure place, locking it up in an isolation chamber.

When they're done, they get everyone settled in at the Tower, converting the rest of the guest rooms into barracks after a fashion by adding more beds to each room. Unfortunately, the Autobots are stuck with the parking garage, though Sideswipe still prefers staying in the hanger upstairs so that he can be closer to Ari in case something happens.

It would be a bit cramped if not for the fact that they decide to start up patrols in and around the city, scanning for both Decepticons and Chitauri. They go out in groups made up of Autobots and soldiers, always making sure there's at least one team of soldiers and a handful of Autobots left at the Tower.

As they're assigning patrols, Ari asks that Wheeljack be allowed to stay behind. "I have a job for you, 'Jack," she tells him, standing in front of his blue Mercedes-Benz alt mode.

"I am at your service, Ari," he says, his British accent spilling from his speakers. "What do you need?"

"I need you to go through the Tower's systems—computers, security, everything—and see if you can find any traces of the Decepticons hacking in."

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Stark says, looking up from signing an autograph like what she said personally offends him. "I don't want someone else crawling around _my_ systems. I'll be the one searching for any alien robots."

"The Decepticons are good, even better than you. You wouldn't know they hacked in unless they wanted you to, but Wheeljack is the best of the best. He can find them and root them out."

Stark thinks it over for a moment, eying Wheeljack thoughtfully, and then nods. "Alright. Jarvis? Show Wheeljack around and make sure he doesn't break something. And no mischief! You're both Brits, I don't even want to think about the kind of trouble you two could cause."

"Of course, Sir," Jarvis replies with just enough sarcasm to make Stark look nervous.

"And no explosions, Wheeljack," Optimus chimes in. "Please."

"Explosions?" Stark perks up at that with an excited gleam in his eye but Steve grabs his arm to drag him towards the elevator.

"Come on, Stark," he says. "You still have your own work to do. You and Banner gotta find the Chitauri and figure out what that machine of theirs does."

Now it's Wheeljack's turn to perk up in excitement, bouncing on his wheels. "You have a piece of Chitauri tech? I'd love to take a look at that."

"One thing at a time, 'Jack," Will says. "First, make sure we aren't going to have two enemies instead of one."

"Yes. Right. Sorry. I'll get started right away."

With Wheeljack settled the first patrol rolls out and everyone else goes upstairs to get some sleep. By now it's close to midnight and they have some long days ahead of them.

As Ari enters her suite, Sideswipe's holoform right behind her, she thinks about their resident scientists. "Sides, we really need to keep them separated, especially 'Jack and Stark."

Sideswipe nods sagely. "Definitely. For the safety of everyone else in the Tower."

"More like the entire city."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how you like? Definitely a lot of action this chapter, but I think I'm getting better at writing it.
> 
> And now all our players are on the scene!
> 
> ...Well...almost...we are waiting for two more actually, which I'm very looking forward to and might get you an early update.
> 
> Frag, I love next chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	7. No Fury Like a Woman Scorned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I'm actually kind of early for once! :D
> 
> Been very busy lately, but I found some time to do this. This has to be one of my favorite chapters so far (this and the prank chapter; can't wait for the prank chapter). I hope you guys like it too!
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

The next day Ari tries to keep herself busy in order to ward off boredom and worry. In the morning she wakes up, shares an enjoyable breakfast with Sideswipe, and then meets Steve in the common room for a couple more Disney movies. They break for lunch with any of the soldiers in the Tower at the moment—Clint joining them as he and Natasha switch out watching Loki again—and then Ari takes some food down to the labs in order to make sure Stark and Banner eat while also checking up on their progress.

And that is when the day goes kind of corkscrew, because of course with this bunch things can't be quiet for very long. She's not sure if she should be thankful or even more worried.

She's in the lab when the call comes in that there are visitors downstairs in the lobby, demanding to be allowed in to the upper floors of the Tower. Jarvis brings up the security footage on one of the monitors and Ari, Stark, Banner, and Sideswipe gather around to get a look.

There's two women at the reception desk, both of them not much taller than Ari. One is in her mid-thirties with a slender frame and long, light brown hair. The other is curvier and in her mid-twenties with dark brown hair and glasses. They're both in jeans and boots, the first woman wearing a plaid shirt and the other an oversized sweater.

Neither of them look like they belong in a place like Stark Tower.

Stark rubs at his neck tiredly, "Alright, now who are they?"

"They say their names are Dr. Jane Foster and her assistant, Darcy Lewis," Jarvis says. "They claim to know Thor and are demanding to be allowed to see him."

"Nick mentioned those names during the briefing, right?" Sideswipe asks. "They were there in New Mexico when Thor first arrived on Earth a few years ago."

"How do we know those are them though?" Banner asks, raising his coffee cup to his lips but then looking down at it with a furrowed brow. "I need more coffee for this."

"Jarvis, run facial recognition software," Stark orders. "Find out who they are."

There's a moment's pause while the software runs and then Jarvis says, "Sir, the matches are both one hundred percent. They are indeed Dr. Foster and Ms. Lewis."

"Okay, so now what?" Ari asks. "Should we go get Thor?"

"Is it just me or do they look kind of mad?" Banner asks from across the room where he's refilling his coffee cup.

"Yeah, kind of," Stark mutters. The slender woman is arguing with the receptionist based on her body language, all tense shoulders and flailing arms as she talks. The other woman stands at her shoulder in a rigid stance, tapping a hand against the top of the messenger bag slung across her chest as she stares at the two security guards standing close by. Stark smirks. "This could be fun. Jarvis, tell security to let them pass. Bring them up to the common room and have Thor meet them there. But don't tell him who's here yet!"

"As you wish, Sir."

Stark turns on his heel, speed-walking towards the door. He pauses in the doorway, looking back at them expectantly. "Well? You coming?"

"Oh, no, you can leave me out of this," Banner says, turning back to his work. "I just want to finish my work and get all of this with the Chitauri over with."

"Come on, Bruce, don't be like that." Stark jogs back over to Banner and throws an arm around his shoulders. Banner flinches at the contact but Stark either doesn't notice or pretends not to. "You've gotta live a little. If I recall correctly, this Jane Foster is Thor's lady love. She's probably here to give him a whipping for disappearing for the past couple years."

"And how is that fun?" Banner asks sardonically but he allows Stark to move him anyway.

"How is that _not_ fun?"

Ari and Sideswipe exchange glances and then follow the two scientists to the elevator. This is either going to go really bad or turn out really funny.

The elevator deposits them in the common room where Thor, Loki, and Natasha are already waiting. Natasha and Loki both look bored but Thor is irritated.

"What is the meaning of this?" Thor asks, rounding on them with sudden intensity. "Why did you summon me here?"

"Woah, first of all, take it down a notch," Stark says, holding up his hands to show he means no harm. "And second, you have visitors."

Thor's brow furrows in confusion. "Visitors? No one outside the people of Asgard know I'm here."

"Yeah, well, apparently they figured it out. Don't ask me how."

"Who?"

The elevator dings and out come the two women, the slender one—most likely Jane Foster—completely furious as she storms over.

Thor's eyes go wide when he sees her and he opens his mouth to say something, but Dr. Foster gets there first, slapping him right across the face.

Stark hisses between his teeth in sympathy while Loki snorts in amusement.

"Where were you?" Dr. Foster asks, her voice unable to stay at any level other than yelling. "You said you were coming back! I waited but you never showed up. And then I was crying and then I went out looking for you and you still never came back!"

"I know, I know," Thor tries to soothe, placing his large hands on her thin shoulders. She doesn't look very soothed by it, instead narrowing her eyes at him. "But the Bifrost was destroyed. The Nine Realms erupted into chaos without Asgard able to keep the peace. Wars were raging, marauders were pillaging. Once the Bifrost had been mended, I had to put an end to the slaughter."

Dr. Foster purses her lips. "As excuses go, it's not terrible." And then some of her anger comes back and she shrugs his hands off of her. "But I saw you on T.V.! You were in New York!"

Thor's face softens with regret. "Jane, I fought to protect you from the dangers of my world. I thought staying away would keep you safe but...I was wrong. I was a fool."

"Ha!" Loki barks in delight. "The mighty Thor, heir to the throne, finally admits he is a fool. Mark this day down in history, mortals, for I doubt it will ever happen again."

"Hey, I know you!" the other woman, Darcy Lewis, exclaims. "You're the creep that led the invasion in New York."

Loki snuffs his nose at her. "I am not a creep, you insignificant mortal. You should watch your tongue."

Ms. Lewis marches towards Loki with a dark look on her face, hand reaching inside her messenger bag. Loki just smirks at her, totally unconcerned, but then she pulls out a taser from her bag and fires, the metal prongs shooting out and hooking onto the skin of his neck.

His entire body tenses up, shaking and convulsing as the electricity courses through him, and then he collapses to the ground, completely unconscious.

"Sorry, boss lady," Ms. Lewis says, ejecting the cartridge of her taser. "I know I said I'd save that charge for Thor but under the circumstances, I think it was still put to good use."

"That's alright, Darcy," Dr. Foster says, walking over to the still twitching Loki and giving him a swift kick in the face. "You're forgiven."

" _How_?" Stark says, jaw dropped so far it's practically dragging on the floor. "It took Hulk to stop Loki during New York, and you do it with a standard issue taser?"

Darcy shrugs, stuffing her gun-style taser back into her bag. "What can I say, I'm just awesome like that."

Thor chuckles lightly. "It is because Odin stripped Loki of his power that she was able to fell him so easily. At this moment, he is basically mortal, as was I when Lady Darcy and I first met and she did the same to me."

"Are you saying you wouldn't drop like a sack of potatoes like your bro did if I tazed you right now?" Ms. Lewis asks, sounding a little disappointed.

"I am afraid not, Lady Darcy. With my power restored, I would be able to resist your small lightning."

She grimaces. "Not cool, dude. At least I got to do it once though."

"I could probably fix that," Stark pipes up eagerly. "Give me a couple of days and I could probably make a high-powered taser strong enough to work on even Thor."

"Really?" Ms. Lewis asks excitedly.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Dr. Foster says, eying her assistant warily, but then she catches Thor's slightly worried face. "On second thought, maybe it could be useful."

"Awesome, I'll put it on my to-do list right under saving the world, but in the meantime," Stark looks Dr. Foster up and down in a way that makes her straighten her shoulders, "how did you find out Thor was here?"

"I'm an astrophysicist trying to prove that the Einstein-Rosen Bridge theory actually exists. I've been scanning atmospheric anomalies all around the globe for years. Just yesterday my equipment picked up an anomaly happening right here in New York with the same energy signature as the Bifrost that brought Thor to New Mexico. I knew it had to be him so I came."

"Atmospheric anomalies?" Dr. Banner asks curiously. "What kind of equipment do you use?"

"My own. I made it all myself."

"Do you have any of it with you?"

"It's in the van downstairs."

"Excellent," Stark says with a grin. "Jarvis, have someone bring Dr. Foster's equipment up to the lab and set aside some guest rooms for her and her assistant. We've got some sciencing to do."

"What kind of sciencing?" Dr. Foster asks, intrigued now.

"It's...kind of a long story," Stark hedges, eyes sliding towards Ari hopefully.

Ari sighs. "Fine. Let's go get you guys set up in the lab and I'll explain as you work."

Dr. Foster blinks in surprise. "I know you. You're Ari Lennox, Autobot Ambassador, right?"

"You can just call me Ari." She holds out a hand and they shake. "It's very nice to meet you, Dr. Foster."

"Jane, please. I'd love to pick your brain about that Space Bridge that opened in Chicago sometime. Do you know how it worked at all?"

"Forget that," Ms. Lewis says. "How do you deal with the politics involved with keeping the peace between humans and an alien race without causing an intergalactic war? Seriously, you've talked the world's leaders off the ledge at least twice now, if not more. And you've got to be the youngest person walking Capitol Hill in U.S. history, plus you're a woman. How do you manage it all without getting pushed around?"

"Uh...," Ari mumbles, not sure which question to start with first.

"I'm Darcy by the way," she holds out a hand and Ari takes it automatically. "I'm a Political Science major at Culver University."

"What is a Political Science major doing working for an astrophysicist?"

"I ended up interning for Jane for some easy science credits and then the whole Thor thing happened in New Mexico."

"That was years ago. Your internship must be over by now, right?"

"Yeah, it is, and a lot of my internship got blacked out by Non-Disclosure Agreements which made it a pain in the butt to actually get my credits. But anyway, New Mexico opened up my eyes, you know? The cat was out of the bag; I couldn't just close it back up again, and I didn't want to. Plus, I couldn't just leave Jane. She needed all the help she could get to find Thor again. So now I'm only a student part time, taking my classes online. Added on a minor in astrophysics, too, so I can better understand what all we're researching. It means taking longer to finish a four year degree, but it's been worth it."

Ari smiles. "I know what you mean. Once you get wrapped up in all the crazy, it's hard to just walk away again. That's why I became Autobot Ambassador. I wanted to help."

"Speaking of helping, let's go already," Stark says impatiently, leading the way towards the elevator.

Banner, Jane, Darcy, and Ari follow after him, Thor starting to follow as well, but Sideswipe holds him back.

"I think it's best to leave her alone for a bit, Thor," Ari hears Sideswipe tell him before the elevator doors close. "Women can be kind of dangerous when they're angry."

* * *

The Scientists Three—as Darcy starts calling them—are interesting.

Ari has gotten used to how Banner and Stark do things. Banner is all neat and organized whereas Stark is more organized chaos. It's still chaos but there's at least a sense of order and purpose to everything he does. They're like yin and yang but they don't clash. They work together more like puzzle pieces coming together, both unique in their own ways but complimenting each other as they come together.

Jane, however, is all chaos with no sense of organization at all.

Ari first sees it in Jane's equipment. She can't make heads or tails of what any of it is but the most shocking thing is that they seem to be just a mesh of metal, circuit boards, and spare parts held together by duct tape and a prayer. Already Ari is thinking to herself that Wheeljack is not allowed to work with this woman. At all. Explosions would be a hundred percent certainty if they ever worked together.

Then there's all the paperwork that comes with her. She has dozens of folders containing spreadsheets filled with numbers and equations that are supposed to mean something but Ari has no idea what. Perhaps she should find an astrophysics textbook. Maybe it would help her understand some of what they're doing.

Darcy seems to understand, though. She takes charge of all the data right away, putting the folders in order by what appears to be location and then date. She claims a workbench with a computer for her and the data, placing everything in neat piles, and then starts to go through them all to make sure everything's in order.

At least someone in this duo has a sense of organization.

Ari explains to them what's going on with the Chitauri and Thanos and why Loki is here. They listen attentively, never breaking stride as they get their things set up.

"So are we positive the Chitauri were after Pepper Potts, then, when they attacked Stark Industries?" Jane asks, reattaching something on one of her machines that had fallen off. "I mean, if Thanos is after these Infinity Stones then he'd have no reason to go after you, right?"

Ari shares a look with Sideswipe—it had taken forever to convince Jane to stop poking the holoform to make sure it was real even though it's just a projection—but neither of them know what to say. Thanos wants the Infinity Stones, not the AllSpark. What use would she be to him? And that's if he even knows what she is, which she still finds unlikely. So she says, "I don't see why he'd want to go after me. Loki's right, the Chitauri were probably after Pepper in order to use her as leverage."

"We still don't know that for sure," Sideswipe protests. "That machine they brought with them kept me out of the building."

"But we still don't know if that is its original intention," Banner says, shining a flashlight inside the guts of the Chitauri machine. "It could just be an unintended side-effect."

"Either way, we're not taking any chances," Stark says, looking over his tools and picking up a different sized wrench. He really isn't taking any chances, especially not with Pepper. He's got her confined in the penthouse right now, well away from Loki, but Ari's not sure Pepper is the type of person to put up with house arrest for long. The only reason she's complying right now is because Stark is worried. He tries not to show it, burying it behind the flippancy and sarcasm, but Ari knows a person keeping a hold of their cool by their fingernails when she sees one.

She's doing it enough herself right now.

"Really, there's no use speculating," Ari says. "It's better just to keep everyone together ready and waiting while we try to find out where Thanos and the Chitauri are holed up. How is that going by the way?"

Jane pats the machine in front of her. "I should be able to scan for the portals the Chitauri are using with my equipment. All I have to do is enter in the data you guys have from S.I. and then set up on the roof, but I don't have the sort of range we'd need. The only reason I picked up Thor getting here is because I was just one city over. I can scan maybe New York state? If we're lucky? But that's about it."

"What do you need to increase the range?" Banner asks.

"A better power source for starters."

"I can do that." Stark says. "Give me a day and you can have your very own mini arc reactors powering all this stuff." He walks around her different machines, eying them with disdain like pieces of horrible artwork. "Really, all this junk needs to be updated. I mean, duct tape? Really?"

"Hey," Jane protests, wrapping her arms around one of her machines protectively. "I made these myself."

"They're her babies," Darcy pipes up from her desk, eyes still skimming over spreadsheets. "Don't touch her babies or she'll attack you like a mamma bear."

"Duly noted," Stark says offhandedly. "So what else?"

Jane worries her lip between her teeth. "The thing is, I don't think anything we do will be enough. I mean, we need to scan the entire planet. I could probably boost the range enough to scan the entire United States from here but that's still a lot of sky to cover."

Banner sighs. "We don't have time for a trip around the world."

"Maybe you don't have to," Sideswipe says thoughtfully. "What if you make it a satellite?"

"Huh." Jane looks around at her equipment, thinking it over in her head. "Yeah, that might work. It wouldn't take long to get the readings we need. All we'd have to do is make maybe half a dozen of them or so and then send them up into Earth's orbit. The planet's gravitational field would take care of the rest. They'd drift around the Earth, taking the scans as they go, and be done in about a day."

"I could add thrusters," Stark adds. "Help them move around the planet quicker."

"We'd just have to make sure they take the readings fast enough to keep up," Banner says.

"Yeah, but that wouldn't be that hard."

The discussion dissolves into science talk Ari only understands maybe an eighth of and figures she and Sideswipe probably aren't needed here anymore. She stops off at Darcy's desk on the way out though, asking, "Will you keep an eye on the three of them for me? I get the feeling taking care of themselves isn't very high on their to-do list. At least, it isn't for Banner and Stark. I'm not even sure they slept last night."

"Yeah, Jane can be just as bad," Darcy says. "I think it's a scientist thing. Afraid of losing any ideas if they stop for too long. But yeah, I can watch them all. How hard could taking care of two more scientists be?"

Ari chuckles. "Knowing Stark, he'll probably be a handful all on his own."

"I still got one more cartridge left for my taser though. I'll use it if I need to."

"If you do that, please record it," Sideswipe says with a grin.

Darcy's answering grin is downright devious. "You got it."

"Awesome," Ari says, taking Sideswipe's hand and backing up towards the door. "If you need any backup, just let us know. Or ask Jarvis. He could probably help you out."

Darcy's brow furrows in confusion. "Who's Jarvis?"

Ari bites the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh. "You'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darcy has to be one of my favorite characters, I swear. I always liked her in the movies, but as an author, she's such a fluid character. Not much is actually known about her at all, canon wise, so I can make up whatever the frag I want! And in all the fics I've read, people usually make her fragging awesome. I might do a spin-off fic starring Darcy. We'll have to wait and see how my muse is doing after the third installment.
> 
> Anywho, we finally have a bit of a game plan now! Gonna find us some aliens but there's still plenty of time to spend getting to know our characters more before our scientists are finished sciencing.
> 
> Next chapter will be out next month and will feature Clint. For those of you who don't know much about the MCU, you get to find out more about what Loki did to Clint. And Ari gets a plan together about what to do with Loki (sort of).
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	8. Puppets and Puppeteers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't got a whole lot of time right now-life's been busy lately-so I'm just gonna put this here.
> 
> Though quick shout out to my new one-shot in my Life Versus Living universe. It's called Wish. If you haven't already, you should go check it out.
> 
> Now, go onward and enjoy!

The Scientists Three decide that it'll take them about five days to make the satellites. It's a long time with every possibility that the Chitauri could show up again any second, but they don't really have any other options. In the meantime, they stay vigilant, the Autobots and N.E.S.T. keeping up their patrols around the city.

Having absolutely nothing to contribute to the cause makes Ari frustrated. She's tried using the AllSpark knowledge to find out where Thanos and the Chitauri are hiding but she's been locked out. That just makes her even more worried. Being locked out used to mean she's supposed to earn an AllSpark mark, but she has all her marks. Why would she be locked out now?

What does Primus want her to prove?

She's not even sure if it has something to do with Thanos or more to do with the Decepticons. Wheeljack found traces of a Decepticon lurking in Stark's systems, spying on them, so she knows they're around. Wheeljack has blocked them out for now, but what if they don't give up? What if they try to steal the scepter again? She's not sure they'll be able to handle two different enemies on two separate fronts.

If the Decepticons and Thanos attack at the same time, they'll be in some serious trouble.

Ari tries not to worry about it, to put it all out of her mind by focusing on the people around her. She hangs out with Steve in the common room, helping him wade through current pop culture. She checks up on the Scientists Three just to say hi, Darcy taking care of them pretty well on her own since none of them have collapsed and there haven't been any explosions. She steals moments with Will and Rob when they're not sleeping or on patrol. She eats dinner with Pepper, trying to keep each other from going stir crazy from the house arrest. She spends time with Phil whenever he's around as he splits his time between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Tower.

And she spends every second with Sideswipe, his constant presence by her side and in her head a comfort she doesn't know what she'd do without.

She doesn't see much of Clint or Natasha though. Or Thor. They're all busy watching over Loki who is kept secluded from everyone else in one of the guest suites. Thor never leaves the suite but Clint and Natasha take turns in order to grab some sleep. Steve tried to volunteer to help with guard duty but they refused, wanting to keep an eye on Loki themselves.

She misses her two favorite spies. Before everything started, it had been close to a year since she last saw them. So when Natasha asks if she wants to spar on the second morning after the scientists set to work, Ari says yes in a heartbeat.

She has some workout clothes with her, a black tank top with the N.E.S.T. logo on it and some black capris. She brought them with her on her trip so that she could keep up with her training, not wanting to become soft even though she hasn't been in battle in over a year. Sideswipe has been her sparring partner, making things interesting since their bond makes them predictable to each other. Their matches usually don't end up with a winner.

They also usually lead to more interesting things without actually finishing. It'll be nice to have an actual sparring match, especially against the Black Widow.

She looks forward to the challenge.

They meet in the gym bright and early at six in the morning, taking the time to work through some stretching routines before they start. Once they both feel ready, they gravitate towards the ring set up on one side of the room, looking like a boxing ring with the elevated padded stage with ropes fencing it in. They duck under the ropes and face off in the center of the ring, their bare feet moving silently over the mat.

Ari is patient like the Hawk as she waits for Natasha to make the first move. Natasha can be patient, too, but Ari knows she can hold out longer because Natasha is going to want to test her, to make sure she's been keeping up with her training.

Natasha's smirk is the only warning she gets before the Widow moves.

She approaches with half-hearted jabs that Ari avoids easily, almost laughably so, but it also proves her right about getting tested. This won't last for long and it doesn't. Natasha tries to surprise her with a kick that she quickly jumps over but then there's a fist coming right at her face that she almost doesn't block in time.

"Jeez, Nat," Ari says as they round each other again, "you trying to give me a bruise? I'd rather not have a black eye."

Natasha smiles coyly. "Oh, we both know you don't bruise very easily."

An obvious reference to Ari's accelerated healing but Natasha is careful not to say too much. "Still doesn't mean it's not going to hurt."

"It's a sparring match. It's supposed to hurt. But if you want to avoid the pain then you better stop avoiding me and take me down first."

Ari allows Natasha to approach first again, a series of punches and kicks that are a lot faster than before, and Ari bobs and dodges. Except this time, instead of dodging away, she moves herself closer, trying to get inside Natasha's reach. She ducks under an arm, jabbing Natasha in the side, but then she's forced to back away again in order to avoid a knee to the stomach.

She spins away again, sweat coating both their faces, but they're grinning.

"Not bad, _sestrenka_ ," Natasha says, using the Russian term for little sister that makes Ari's smile widen. She doesn't use it very often. "You've improved."

Ari beams, compliments coming from the Black Widow being rare, but then Natasha is moving faster than she can blink and Ari ends up on her back on the mat with Natasha's knee pressing into her neck.

Ari huffs. "Not enough to take you down apparently."

"Sorry, _kotyonok_ , you still have a long way to go before-"

Ari uses her legs to knock Natasha off balance and shoves her to the floor, quickly getting up and straddling Natasha from behind. Ari uses her legs to secure Natasha's arms to her sides, her weight and being on Natasha's back giving her the added leverage necessary to ensure that she's not going anywhere.

Natasha struggles for a second but then stops, chuckling to herself. "I guess you don't have as far to go as I thought."

"Do you surrender?" Ari asks, arching her brow expectantly.

"I never surrender. You'll have to kill me."

"I'm sure that could be arranged. How do you wish to die? Shall I find out if you're ticklish?"

"I will never give up that secret."

"Jarvis, please tell me we're recording this," another voice cuts across the room and they both look up to see Stark standing just outside the ring, clothes stained with grease and a manic grin on his face.

Ari and Natasha both rise to their feet in one fluid motion, stalking towards the edge of the ring together with matching predatory glares.

"Stark," Ari purrs, giving him a sweet smile like a poisoned apple, "if a recording of our time here ever shows up _anywhere_ without our permission, we will drag you into this ring with us."

"And by the time we're done with you," Natasha says, leaning over the ropes to look him directly in the eye, "you'll wish you were dead."

Stark's dopey grin grows. "Sounds like a heck of a way go."

"Watch it, Stark," Sideswipe says from where he was watching their match off to the side.

Stark doesn't seem to understand the warning, though, because he just shrugs. "Just saying."

Ari crosses her arms in front of her chest, popping out a hip. "Oh, really? Jarvis, did you get all that? I think Pepper needs to hear what Stark just said."

Stark's eyes go wide and he holds up his hands in surrender. "No, no, no! I'm good. You don't need to do that. Pepper doesn't need to see this, right Jarvis? Nix that order."

"Whatever you say, Sir," Jarvis replies, sounding deeply amused.

Stark sighs, dropping his hands and giving them both the stink eye. "Great, now my A.I. is against me. You two play dirty."

Ari grins, slipping through the ropes to step out of the ring. "That's the best way to play."

"Why did I say I like you?"

"Because she doesn't let you trample all over her probably," Natasha says, tossing Ari a water bottle that she automatically catches without thinking about it. "Speaking of which, what are you doing over here? I thought nothing would be able to drag you away from your lab for at least another day."

He huffs like a petulant child. "You're not the only ones who's got my A.I. working against me. Lewis got the entire lab shut down because we've been science binging for almost forty-eight hours now. Can't access the computers or anything. Even the lights won't come on. And she threatened to cut the power cord on the coffee maker if we didn't get out! Can you believe that? I mean, Bruce I can understand. He can't burn the candle at both ends without risking a Hulk out, you know? But me? Kicked out of my own lab? It's not right!"

Ari takes a second look at Stark. He's wearing the same clothes he's been wearing for the past three days and they're layered with soot and grease. There are bags under his eyes and a jitteriness to him that's fueled by too much caffeine. "Stark, she's right. You need sleep."

"No, I don't. I'm fine. I just need more coffee and I can keep going for another couple days."

Yeah, definitely too much caffeine. "No, Stark. Sleep. If you don't get some rest soon then you'll either collapse or make a mistake. I'm sure you've seen _Nightmare on Elm Street_."

"But we need to get this done."

"You need to get it done _right_." She places a hand on his shoulder and steers him back towards the door. "Hit the hay. Spend some time with Pepper. Then when you wake up, you can keep going."

He closes his eyes with a heavy sigh, the exhaustion finally catching up with him as his shoulders slump. "Fine. I could probably sleep an hour or two."

"A full eight," Ari insists, pushing him lightly towards the door and he goes. "Goodnight, Stark. Before I decide to go Freddy Krueger on you."

He waves his hand over his head and leaves, feet beginning to drag. Ari sighs in relief. It's about time the Scientists Three took a break. They've been going at it nonstop except for the meals Darcy has managed to get them to pause long enough to eat.

"Darcy is really good at taking care of them," Natasha says with a hint of admiration.

"She really is. She's kind of terrifying in her efficiency." Ari bites her lip in contemplation and then says. "Speaking of taking care of people, how is Clint doing?"

Natasha shrugs a shoulder but the movement is too stiff to truly be nonchalant. "As well as can be expected, considering the circumstances. He hasn't shot Loki yet, at any rate."

Sideswipe snorts. "I'm surprised."

"Did Loki really use the Mind Stone to control him?" Ari finally asks and Natasha gives a jerky nod. "What did he make Clint do?"

"That's for Clint to say, not me, _kotyonok_."

"Why...Why _hasn't_ he ever talked about it with me?" Clint and Natasha are both family to her. Something as big as this, she would have thought he would have told her by now.

"You have to understand, this happened before either of us knew you and he has a hard enough time talking about it even with me. What Loki did...it messed him up real bad."

"But he'll do it when he's ready?" Ari looks down, pulling at a loose thread in her shirt. "I want him to know that he can talk about this sort of stuff with me. He can tell me anything."

Natasha places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He does know that, Ari. Trust me."

Ari drudges up a small smile. "Okay."

"Come on," Natasha says, jerking her head towards the women's locker room. "If you're so worried, how about you come with me to see him. It's just about time for me to take his place watching Loki anyway."

Ari nods eagerly, and she and Natasha head for the lockers to grab their gym bags and then wash and change in the shower stalls. They meet Sideswipe back out in the hallway in front of the gym and then take the elevator up to the guest suites.

They're deposited on a floor that's three floors below the one where Ari is staying. Her floor has about half a dozen apartments along the one hallway but on this floor there's only three—two doors on the left and one on the right. Natasha heads to the first one on the left, knocking three times and then twice before walking into the apartment.

Ari can feel the tenseness in the air as soon as she enters the room, the three occupants of the studio-style apartment sitting stiffly. The T.V. is on but none of them are watching it. Loki and Thor sit on separate sofas in the living area, Thor staring out the floor to ceiling windows on the far side of the room while Loki reads the book held awkwardly in his bound hands. Clint sits at the dining table a few feet away cleaning his bow.

Clint's shoulders are rigid in a way that Ari has never seen before, his hands moving mechanically over his bow with practiced ease, but as those fingers rub a rag into the polished metal she can see them twitching for an arrow to notch and a target to aim for.

The target being Loki's head.

When Natasha approaches him the rigidness eases a little bit even though he doesn't look up from his task, his hands still moving until they finish what they started. He then packs up his gear in the bow case next to him, folding his precious bow down and enclosing it inside.

With it now out of immediate reach his hands twitch even harder, wanting it back even though he probably has at least one gun and who knows how many knives on him right now.

The bow is his preferred weapon, though, and with someone so close who's caused Clint as much pain as what Ari suspects, he must want to be as heavily arms as possible at all times.

He stands from the table, case in hand, and shares a hushed conversation with Natasha that Ari can't quite make out. The way they're standing together, so close with only a hairsbreadth between them, makes it feel like a private moment so Ari turns her attention away to their two resident Asgardians.

She finds Loki already staring at her with an unreadable expression.

It sends a shiver down her spine. She hadn't felt his eyes on her at all and it makes her nervous. What is he thinking? Is he curious about her, about her place among the Autobots? Is he wondering, if the Chitauri weren't after Pepper, why Thanos would be interested in her? Is he thinking of a way to use her to his advantage?

Is he thinking of a way to escape?

He hasn't shown an interest in trying to escape. He hasn't tried to talk his way out of helping them. Most of the time, he acts as if those manacles aren't even around his wrists. Does he think he'll get his powers back if he stays and helps? Or is he simply biding his time?

He breaks eye contact first, looking down at his book again in disdain. "Why do Midgardians read such drivel?"

Willingly starting a conversation. Interesting. Bracing herself, Ari steps closer, tilting her head to get a better look at the book he's reading. She snorts. It's _Twilight_. "Who gave you that?"

"Stark. This is not really considered good literature, is it? If it is, then Midgardians are even more inept than I first believed."

Ari chuckles lightly, not really taking the insult to heart because...well, it's _Twilight_. "No, it isn't. Stark is just messing with you. If you want a good example of Earth literature try reading something by William Shakespeare. I could see you enjoying that. Though I'd love to know where he got that book. It doesn't look new."

Stark being a closet _Twilight_ fan would be hilarious.

Loki glowers down at the book like he's trying to set it on fire with his eyes. "A trick. Stark should know better than to mess with the Trickster god. I shall have to plot my revenge."

"I wouldn't recommend that right now, considering your current circumstances."

"I highly doubt my circumstances are going to get any better in the near future."

"They could, though, couldn't they?" she asks curiously, stepping closer. "You said that you could earn back your powers, and from what I've heard Odin doesn't seem like the type who would give power back to someone dangerous. I'm guessing you have to do something good, have a change of heart, maybe even admit that what you did was wrong."

"That is not happening, mortal," Loki deadpans, face lacking the ego she would have thought there'd be. "What I did was not wrong. It was no different than what Thor did before his banishment."

"How is what I did the same, Loki?" Thor asks, fists clenching in his lap. "You tried to subjugate an entire realm and killed hundreds of people."

Loki rounds on him, fire burning brighter than when he glared at the book. "And you led us to Jotunheim against Odin's orders with the same intent in mind. You wanted to wipe out the Jotun race once and for all, to do as Odin could not during the war. Those were your words. And all that was done to you was banishment."

"You are banished, Loki. Banished and stripped of your power just as I was."

"After being imprisoned for years."

"Because what you did was different."

"How is what you did so different?" Loki roars, hurt and betrayal marring his entire frame. "Is it because the Jotun are monsters?"

Ari can feel Sideswipe right behind her, a solid heat at her back ready to act if Loki so much as moves the wrong way, but she doesn't think it's necessary. There is something deeper being said here that Ari doesn't understand but Thor seems to, because Thor turns his head away in guilt and shame.

There is more to Loki's story than meets the eye, she can feel it as the knowledge behind her door begins to churn.

But what will it show her?

"That is what I thought," Loki says, back to being detached. "I am a monster, Thor. That is why Odin keeps me in chains." His eyes turn to her again and she swears she can see a tinge of red in them. "And that is why my circumstances will not change."

Ari stares at him for a long moment, the knowledge turning harder, and that's how she knows. Whatever it is Loki is hiding, she needs to find out what it is because it's important. It'll change things.

It might actually help them, and him as well.

"Come on, Ari," Clint says, voice tense behind her. "Let's go. There's not use talking to him."

"Alright," Ari says, letting Sideswipe lead her away with a hand at the small of her back, Clint covering their retreat until all three of them are out the door.

She needs to find time to talk to Loki. Alone. It's the only way she'll be able to find out the truth.

"You should stay away from Loki," Clint says once they're in the elevator, heading up. "He's dangerous."

"I know he is," Ari says, following Clint as he steps off the elevator with Sideswipe right behind her. It's another guest floor, this one with only three apartments again. Clint goes to the single door on the right, opening it up and waving them inside. Once the door is shut—ensuring privacy—she continues, "But I also know he's hiding something and the AllSpark wants me to find out what."

Clint's eyes flash to her in surprise. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that, kiddo."

"Neither do I," Sideswipe says. "Ari, are you sure Loki is someone you want to get mixed up with?"

"There's something going on, Sides. I know it. And it could help us."

Clint looks at her in disbelief, plopping down on the couch on his back. "What help could Loki possibly give us that he hasn't done already?"

This apartment is a lot bigger than the one Ari is staying in. It looks to take up the entire right side of this floor. The front door opens up into a short entryway that spills out into a massive living room with a huge sectional couch forming a U in front of a very advanced entertainment system including a T.V., stereo, and gaming systems. There's an archway on the left that leads into a homey looking kitchen with western themes and to the right of that is a hallway that leads into the rest of the apartment.

"Slag, Clint," Ari says, eyes wide in astonishment, "and I thought my apartment was nice."

Clint sighs, looking around the space a bit self-consciously. "Yeah, apparently it's...mine."

"What do you mean yours?" Sideswipe asks as he and Ari sit down on another section of couch.

Clint sits up with another heavy sigh. "I mean, apparently, Stark made this entire floor for me. My name is on the lease and everything he says. Although, maybe lease isn't the right word for it since I don't have to pay rent."

"Seriously?" Ari says. "An entire _floor_? And those other two doors in the hallway..."

"Guest suites for if I ever want to have anybody over." Clint grimaces, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "Stark made a floor for each member of the Avengers, even Thor. He and Loki are staying in one of Thor's guest suites—smaller space for better security."

"So that's why Stark left only the A on the side of the Tower," Ari mumbles softly. "He doesn't want this to be just Stark Tower. He wants it to be Avengers Tower, your base of operations, your...your home."

Clint rubs his hands together uncomfortably. "I'm not sure how I feel about it all, to be honest. I mean, I haven't had a home since before my parents died. Sure, there was the circus, but we were constantly moving around and it wasn't exactly a good place either. After that I've just moved from base to base, going wherever the military and then S.H.I.E.L.D. needed me."

Ari smiles softly, getting up and moving to sit next to him. "Then I guess it's about time you found a place to call home. And this place looks like it could be a very good one."

She sees a lot of potential in this group of people. They're all lost, they're all broken, but maybe, just maybe, they'll be able to help each other.

But Clint just looks down at his hands and says, "I'm not sure I deserve a home like this."

Ari and Sideswipe exchange glances, Sideswipe tilting his head towards Clint telling her to go ahead. So she takes Clint's hand in hers and asks, "Why do you say that?"

Clint stares at her hand, not really moving but not pulling away either. "I've done a lot of horrible things, Ari. Things I'm not proud of. Nightmarish things."

"I know," she whispers. She knows what it is he does. He's not just a superhero. He's not just a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He's not just the greatest marksman in the world. He's an assassin. He's killed many, many people and he does it for a living.

He chuckles, the sound sad and dark. "No, you really, really don't."

"Then explain it to me. I'm here for you, Clint, we both are. Family is supposed to help each other, so let me."

"Even with the hard parts?" he asks, still not looking at her. "Even with the parts I'm ashamed of?"

She squeezes his hand. "Especially with those parts."

Clint takes in a deep breath, releases it slowly, and then nods.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Okay."

"Alright." She slips closer to him on the couch so she's pressed against his side, trying to offer all the comfort she can. "So what nightmares are keeping you up at night, Clint?"

Clint's jaw clenches, so hard Ari's afraid he'll hurt his teeth. "Loki."

She clutches his hand tighter, resting her head on his shoulder almost as if he's about to tell her a bedtime story, but this is far from a cute little tale about a clever boy facing giants. But this way they don't have to look at each other, giving him a sense of privacy, and it seems to make it easier for him to get the words out.

"I was in New Mexico when everything started before New York, working security for a secret facility out there in the desert. Pretty simple op, especially for someone like me, but I had just come off a three month mission in the jungle so I was just fine with simple. And Fury wanted someone he could trust to keep an eye on things."

"What were they doing out there?" Ari asks.

"Conducting experiments on the Tesseract. Trying to find a way to harness its power."

"Sounds dangerous."

"Yeah. We really didn't know what we were getting into. I was kind of glad when Thor took the Tesseract off world. But anyway, I was watching over the main lab when the Tesseract started powering up and Loki came through with the scepter. We tried to stop him of course, but during the fight he...he...," Clint pauses, taking in another shuttering breath. "He touched the tip of the scepter to my chest. And he took over my mind.

"One minute I was me, and the next everything was coated in blue and I felt so far away. Detached. Unfeeling. But it was still me. I could still feel my arms moving, I could feel my mouth speaking, but it felt...wrong, dark, ugly. I did things. Terrible things. I killed people, _innocent people_. It's because of me that Phil...that he almost...It's because of me that he got stabbed."

"Hey, hey." Ari pulls back, lifting a hand to cup the side of Clint's face and making him look at her. His eyes turn reluctantly and when she gets a good look at them she sees the storm of guilt and sadness and absolute grief churning inside of him. "None of that was your fault."

"Yes, it was," he insists.

"No, it wasn't. It wasn't you."

"Yes, it was," he says again, pulling away from her. "They were still my hands taking the shot every time. I killed for him. I helped him. If it wasn't for me, Loki wouldn't have been able to finish the machine that harnessed the Tesseract in order to open up the portal in New York. It was _all_ my fault."

She shakes her head, moving closer to him again and reaching for his hands but he pulls away. Her hands drop to her lap, feeling stung, but it doesn't matter how she feels. He's hurting right now, from pain he doesn't know how to carry and shouldn't have to in the first place. "Clint, did you want to do it? Did you want to help him?"

Clint blanches. "Of course not! I would never...I'd never..."

"I know," she says softly. "Loki forced you to do those things. It wasn't you, Clint. None of it. It was Loki."

"It was still my hands though."

"You were a puppet with your strings being pulled by someone else. If I had a marionette and I pulled its strings to make it knock over a glass of water, who's fault would it be, the puppet or the puppeteer? Who would you blame?"

He looks away, eyes dropping to the floor for a long moment before they close in a kind of surrender, his shoulders slumping as he leans back against the couch cushions. Ari reaches for his hand again and he lets her take it this time, squeezing her fingers tight. He then looks at her and nods. "Okay...okay. You're right. I would blame the puppeteer."

Ari breathes a sigh of relief, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug and he holds her in return, burying his face in her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Clint. I know what happened to you was awful and it'll take a long time to actually heal from it, but this is a good first step."

"Another good step would be to shoot an arrow through Loki's eye," Clint grumbles against her shirt.

"No, you can't do that," she says sternly, pulling away to look him in the eye. He looks better now, his eyes not as cloudy with guilt, but anger can be just as bad. "That won't help you either and you know it. Besides, we still need Loki."

"You keep saying that but I still don't see why."

"I don't understand it either. Not yet. The AllSpark wants me to know something but I think I need to find out from Loki himself."

"So, what, you want to just go talk to him? 'Cause I highly doubt he's just going to spill all his secrets to you. He's the God of Lies."

"He might if I can get him alone."

"No," Sideswipe says vehemently. "Not a chance."

Ari arches a brow at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Oh, really?"

He does not get to just tell her what she can or can't do. That is not how this works and he knows it. That's why he takes a moment to take a breath and then when he speaks again it's more pleading. "Ari, please, you can't seriously think it's a good idea to put yourself alone with a dangerous mass murderer."

"His powers are stripped and he's restrained. Seriously, what's the worse he could do to me?"

"I don't know," Clint says grimly, "but Loki isn't just a sorcerer. He's a warrior. He's been in battle. Magic probably isn't his only skill set."

"But it's not like I'll really be alone. Jarvis will be watching, right? And I have my bond with you, Sideswipe." She gets up from the couch to kneel in front of Sideswipe on the floor, placing her hands on his knees and looking up at him in earnest. "One thought and you and any Autobots in the building can just materialize your holoforms right next to me."

"And if we're too late?" Sideswipe asks, taking her hands and brushing his thumbs over her knuckles. "What then?"

"You know I can take care of myself. And in any case, I don't believe it'll come to that." She lifts up his hands and kisses the back of each one. "I'll be fine, Sideswipe. This is something I have to do."

"Why?"

"It's a feeling I have, and my instincts have never let me down before. You've trusted my instincts, too, Sides. I need you to trust me again."

He sighs, leaning forward so that his forehead presses against hers. "I don't like you doing this without me. We're supposed to have each other's backs, remember?"

"I know," she says apologetically. "But sometimes there's no other option. I don't like it either, but I have to. The AllSpark needs me to."

"Fine," Sideswipe says grudgingly. "But we stay in constant communication, understand?"

Ari nods her head rapidly. "Yeah, of course."

"And Tasha and I are waiting for you right out in the hallway," Clint adds with no room for argument. "We won't be able to hear what you're talking about but we'll be as close as possible in case you need us."

"Fine," she agrees, knowing she has no more wiggle room. She's just glad they're letting her do this.

"Good. But there is one problem with your plan. How do you plan on actually getting Loki alone? Thor's with him constantly. Do you really think you can convince him to leave?"

"And that's if we manage to do this under Stark's nose," Sideswipe says. "There's no way he'd actually let us do this."

"Don't worry, guys," Ari says with a mischievous smirk she's picked up from pulling pranks with Sides and Sunny. "I have a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, lots of stuff. Got some fun with Stark and Natasha and some angst and fluff with Clint. Those of you who didn't know before now know what happened to Clint during New York. And we've got some good stuff coming next chapter with Loki.
> 
> We will find out the truth. Though, if you took part in the sequel poll, you probably already know where this is going.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	9. Deceptions Unmasked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, time for another installment. Sorry these are still coming slow. I've had a bit of writer's block lately but I think I've finally worked through it. I'm also waiting on the next Transformers movie to come out. Depending on what happens, it might influence what, exactly, I do next. I like the idea of Unicron coming to Earth. (Or whoever that is in the movie. I'd probably just make it Unicron no matter what.) Anyway, I'm interested in seeing where they take it and if I like it, I might incorporate it into the third Move Along installment. Or even just making a fourth one. Who knows.
> 
> Primus, this series has turned out bigger than I ever imagined it. But it's been one heck of a ride so far.
> 
> Speaking of rides, this chapter is quite the roller coaster. There's a lot of dialogue as Ari confronts Loki and it discusses a lot of what's happened in other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I did my best to explain everything but if anyone who doesn't know the MCU has any questions, feel free to ask.
> 
> Now, go onward and enjoy!

Ari is quick to get all the parts of her plan ready. She has to be since she's working with an unknown time limit. The first thing she does is ask Jarvis to alert her whenever Jane wakes up. She needs Jane in order to get Thor away from Loki but she has to make sure to catch the scientist before Jane makes it back to the lab. Jarvis easily obliges with the request, stating that he can inform her as soon as Jane leaves her suite.

After that, Ari has any Autobots who are currently in the building meet her in her suite, the holoforms of Optimus, Ratchet, Sunstreaker, and Jazz appearing in her living room. She explains to them what she wants to do so that they'll be ready in case she needs help. None of them are too happy but they understand enough that she's informing them, not asking for permission. She doesn't recruit any of the human soldiers though. If things go ugly, she doesn't want them to get caught up in the crossfire, not with someone so dangerous.

She's just glad Will and Rob are out on patrol for the next several hours.

After that, Ari and Jarvis sit down to have a chat, so to speak.

Stark can't know what she's planning on doing. He would probably put his foot down and stop the whole thing. The thing is, Jarvis is always watching. She's made sure not to talk about the plan outside of the guest suites since Jarvis is not allowed to monitor what's being said in private areas, but the suite where Thor and Loki are staying isn't going to be considered a private area. Stark has made sure to add cameras in that room so that Jarvis is constantly monitoring Loki, recording what is said and done in that apartment. Ari wants to make sure that, if she manages to get Loki alone in the apartment, Jarvis doesn't rat her out.

"Jarvis, can I ask you a question?" Ari asks, leaning back against the couch with her head tilted up towards the ceiling even though it's not necessary.

"Of course you may," Jarvis replies. "How can I be of service?"

"Hypothetically, if I wanted to talk to Loki alone, would you have to inform Stark of what I was up to and what we talk about?"

He doesn't answer right away and Ari bites her lip, hoping Jarvis understands her use of hypothetical and isn't informing Stark of _this_ conversation right now. But after a moment he replies, "Hypothetically, I would, indeed, have to inform Mr. Stark. My orders are to inform Sir if Loki is ever left alone, if he ever threatens anyone, or does anything dangerous, and I am to record all conversations."

The conversation thing she could probably be fine with. The only thing she wants to keep hidden is the AllSpark and she has no plans on telling Loki that secret anyway. "But if I'm with Loki, then technically he won't be alone. I can watch him."

"And what qualifications do you have to guard a dangerous intergalactic criminal?" he asks and Ari swears she hears a disapproving tone in his voice.

"You have access to New York City CCTV footage, right?"

"I do."

"Then look for me in the footage from a couple of days ago, during our fight with the Decepticons. I was there fighting just like everyone else."

There's another pause as he presumably does as she asked, looking through all the camera footage. It should be easy for Jarvis to find her fight with Sideswipe against the Decepticons before N.E.S.T. got there, showing her taking down 'Cons without any problem.

Handling Loki should be simple compared to them. Hopefully.

"After reviewing the security footage and conferring with Agents Barton and Romanoff, I have come to the conclusion that you would be a suitable guard," Jarvis says, though rather reluctantly. "I have added your name to the approved list."

Ari smirks, very glad Clint and Natasha took over guarding Loki without letting anyone else help. "Thank you, Jarvis."

And so the plan is set. All she has to do is wait. Thankfully, she doesn't have to wait long. Jane's natural tendencies towards being a night owl have her waking up at around eight that night. Ari quickly texts Clint and Natasha, telling them Jane is up and making a beeline towards the labs.

This part is up to them: convincing Thor to leave the apartment without dragging Loki with him. Clint is in the apartment with him right now, taking his shift as guard, but the plan is for Natasha to show up to tell Thor that Jane wants to talk to him. Alone. Without Loki hovering around. Natasha will then offer to take Thor's place to watch Loki so that Thor can go.

Just a few minutes later she gets a text back from Natasha saying the coast is clear. Ari smiles, leaving her apartment and taking the elevator down to Thor's floor. She's glad she left that part up to the actual spies.

Though it's not like it's that much of a lie. Thor and Jane definitely need to have a talk that doesn't involve yelling.

When she enters the apartment Clint and Natasha are already standing near the door ready for her, Clint's bow and quiver slung over his shoulder. "Are you sure about this, Ari?" he asks again.

"Yes, I'm sure," Ari says, motioning the both of them towards the door. "Now hurry up. I don't know how much time we're going to have."

"Be careful, _sestrenka_ ," Natasha whispers softly, squeezing her shoulder as she passes.

"I will, _sestra_. Don't worry."

Once Clint and Natasha are both out in the hallway Ari approaches Loki, sitting down on the couch across from him. He has a book in his hands again, this time _The Complete Works of William Shakespeare_ , but he's not reading it. His eyes are fixed on her, shining in intrigue.

"And what are you up to, Lady Ari?" he asks, a mischievous smirk on his face that is darker than Sideswipe's.

"I wanted a chance to talk to you," she says, "alone."

"Well, by all means," he sets his book down on the coffee table between them, gesturing with his bound hands to continue. "I do not have much opportunity for stimulating conversation these days."

"I'm going to warn you right now, you probably won't like it."

"Oh, really? And why is that?"

"Because I want to just cut to the chase. I know you're hiding something, Loki, and I want to know what it is."

He chuckles, shaking his head like he finds her ridiculous. "And what could I possibly have to hide? I have already told you of the enemy you face. There is nothing more for me to give."

"Oh, but I think there is. You may not think it's important, but you need to tell us. We need to know."

"And that would be?" he prompts with a raise of his brow, still pretending he has no idea what she's talking about. She doesn't really know either, but she can feel the door in her head cracking open, prepared to let her see.

She touches the doorknob and lets the knowledge flow over her like a river, the current sweeping her up so that the only thing she can do is move with it.

"You are lost," she says as images flash inside her head, her eyes staring unseeing out the window behind him as Loki's past is laid bare before her. "Broken. You've been used and lied to your entire life. Raised Asgardian but...Asgardian you are not."

"Silence, mortal," Loki growls, hands clenching into fists. "You do not know of what you speak."

Ari doesn't really hear him though. His voice is far away as hers continues to talk, almost as if it's not really her. "You were orphaned. Abandoned. Unwanted. Left in the snow on a battlefield because you were different. Small. A runt. But someone saw you. Odin found you and decided he did want you, even though he was there to slay your and your kind."

"Stop it," Loki grinds out. She would almost call it a threat except he stays still, body vibrating like he wants to act but something is holding him back. She feels no real danger so she keeps going.

"Jotun, from the planet Jotunheim. That is what you really are, not Asgardian. Frost Giants as they were called when they attacked Earth, beat back by the Asgardians. They're as large as their name suggests, blue in skin, blood red eyes, pointed teeth—they are seen as monsters with hearts as cold as the ice magic that runs through their veins."

"Stop it." His voice is more pleading now, hands raising as if he wants to cover his ears but he can't, not with his wrists bound like they are. "Stop..."

"You are a natural in the use of magic. When Odin first held you as a baby your blue skin turned to pink, your pointed teeth dulled, and your eyes turned green—an instinctive magic that created an illusion you still hold to this day without a thought even with most of your magic bound. All assumed you to be Asgardian—son of Odin and Frigga, brother of Thor—and you were raised as such, a prince. You were never told the truth.

"You never suspected, though you always knew you were different. Asgardian men are fighters, that is the social norm, but that is not what you prefer. Though you wield knives with a deadly accuracy, you prefer to wield magic, something that is usually left to the women. It's led to ridicule but that did not stop you, and your mother nurtured your curiosity for knowledge.

"However, you were taught the same things all Asgardians are taught, including the belief that all Frost Giants are monsters, cruel beings that will destroy planets if left unchecked. You grew up to hate your own race. Odin and Frigga knew that and still they drilled that belief into your head."

Loki gets up, walking towards the door like he plans on leaving, but the door doesn't budge. Jarvis has it locked, the bathroom door as well as Loki finds out, leaving him with nowhere else to go. Nowhere to run from the words Ari says, words he wishes to deny. She made sure there would be no escaping the truth.

"And the other lies…both you and Thor were promised an equal chance at the throne but that was never Odin's intent. He _never_ wanted you, a Jotun, to be king of Asgard. You were always just a pawn in his little game. He wanted to use you to make peace with Jotunheim somehow but, my Primus," she laughs at the audacity of it all, "he was such a fool. How could he really have expected that, when you were basically taught to hate yourself?

"Then the truth came to light, and what were you to do? You were hurting, betrayed, in denial, and so you lashed out. Thor was banished, Odin had fallen into the Odinsleep, leaving only you to take the throne, something you've always wanted but just found out you could never have. So you decided to prove everyone wrong, to prove that you can be a great king despite your heritage, but your anger led you down the wrong path. You rejected what you are, you rejected your heritage, and you decided to destroy all of Jotunheim, something Odin could never accomplish. But that was not the way…that was not the way…."

She can see them in her mind, Thor newly returned from his banishment after defeating the Destroyer, Odin newly awakened from the Odinsleep after regaining his strength. They are on the bridge in front of the Bifrost gate trying to stop Loki from destroying an entire planet. But then Loki falls off that bridge and Asgard is not like Earth. It isn't round but flat as early explorers used to believe Earth to be. A flat world suspended in the atmosphere. To fall off the edge is to fall into the abyss of space.

And the Bifrost is right at the edge.

"You fell," she says softly. "You fell into nothingness, your magic keeping you alive as you drifted for eternity, left alone with only your pain and heartache. The nothingness ate away at your mind, driving you to madness. But just as you started to think it would never end, someone came and plucked you out of the nothingness—Thanos, the Mad Titan. He took you to his realm at the edge of the universe, healed your wounds, and led you back to sanity."

And this is the part that Ari didn't know or expect, more so than him being Jotun and not really Thor's brother. This is the part the AllSpark has wanted her to know the most. This is the horror that stabs through her chest like knives.

"Thanos saved you," she says, voice shaking, "only to tear your mind apart again with one touch of the Mind Stone."

Loki lets out a keening sound and falls to his knees, still facing the bathroom door and away from her. He must be seeing it all again in his head, just as she is, feeling all of that excruciating _pain_ as he tried to fight against the Mind Stone and lost. Ari only sees a glimpse of everything he went through and she can easily tell that it was a torture more severe than anything she's ever been through. His entire being, who he is, was torn to shreds.

"Thanos took all of that anger and hate and self-loathing inside of you and twisted it to suit his own needs. He manipulated you, controlled you, just like you did to Clint and so many others with the scepter. You, yourself, were a puppet, not really thinking with your own mind again until you were already locked inside the dungeons of Asgard."

The door finally closes and Ari closes her eyes, feeling tears fall down her cheeks. The AllSpark has shown her many things in the past, many horrible things, but nothing like this. This is the depths to which people—human or not—can fall all because of greed and power. She doesn't think even the Decepticons are as bad as this.

And people still believe most of what she saw was Loki's fault but it's not...it's not.

"Why haven't you said anything, Loki?" Ari asks, standing from the couch and approaching Loki cautiously where he's still crumpled on the floor. "Why haven't you told anyone the truth?"

"What would be the point?" Loki bites out, trying to hide within his anger, but she can still hear how tight his voice is, like he's close to tears. "Frigga sensed what was done to me after I had regained my own mind. She told Odin and Thor but still I rotted in that cell, still I have these blasted shackles! It changed nothing and it will change nothing for these pathetic mortals to know the truth. It is better if they still believe me to be the villain they think I am."

Ari kneels down in front of him, his head still bowed and his bound hands in his lap. This is the closest she's ever been to him and now she's able to tell that the shackles around his wrists don't seem to have any kind of keyhole, no discernible way to unlock them, but there are ancient ruins carved into them around the cuffs. If she had to guess, they're probably some kind of spell. "Tell me something—how do you remove these shackles?"

Loki's laugh is broken, all of his masks and lies shattered now. He's always acted haughtily, like he knows everything, all ego and confidence and pride. But now, his laugh is the laugh of a man who already knows he's lost. "They can only be unlocked by someone who believes I have learned from my mistakes, someone who believes me to be changed. Someone who sees me worthy of forgiveness."

"Don't you believe what you did—what Thanos made you do—was wrong?"

Loki's mouth screws up in a sneer. "It is not just what I did while under the influence of the Mind Stone but what came before as well, when I tried to destroy Jotunheim while Thor was banished."

"And we already know how you feel about that," she says, thinking of his tantrum yesterday, saying his actions were no different than Thor's. "But Loki, what Thor did was still wrong and he realized that, right? He realized what he did was wrong and that's why he was able to get his power back."

"That is part of it, yes." His face screws up even tighter, if that's possible, like he just sucked on something sour. "He got soft with sentiment, starting to care for you mortals, so much that he was willing to sacrifice himself in order to save them. That is why he regained his power."

Ari can't help but smile. "So you need to not only understand that what you did was wrong, but feel regret for the lives you almost took as well. And you see going soft for us mortals as a bad thing?"

"Precisely," he says with an emphatic nod. "You are insects, nothing but a speck of dust compared to the rest of us. You live only a fraction of our lives and your measly lives mean nothing. Why does it matter what happens to you?"

Ari shifts on her knees uncomfortably, not liking how he calls humans insects like the Decepticons do.

But she thinks he has the potential to do better than them.

"You're wrong," she says, tilting her head so she can look him in the eye. "If we were so puny and pathetic and weak like you keep saying, if our lives truly mean nothing, then us humans wouldn't have been able to stop you and the Chitauri in New York. We wouldn't have won against the Decepticons time and time again. We wouldn't have the fate of the entire universe on our doorstep right now. Thanos is one of the most powerful beings in the universe and he's here, on Earth, trying to get what he wants. And it's up to us to stop him. Us. Only us. And if we fail, then Thanos will be too powerful for _anyone_ to stop, even Asgard."

"Then we are all doomed," he deadpans.

"I don't think so. Like I said, we've already accomplished so much. We've done the impossible before. Is it really so hard to believe we can do it again?"

"I do not know," he says, probably the most honest thing he's said since arriving here. "But your grand speech, as it is, won't be enough to change my mind."

"I didn't think so," she says with a nod, rising to her feet and holding out a hand to him, "but I've found the best way to change someone's mind is to work hard to show them they're wrong, give a little bit of kindness, and to just give it time."

It worked for Trent, after all, and she used to hate his guts. Now they're friends.

Loki snorts. "You really think you can prove me wrong, mere mortal?"

She smirks. "I know I can. Because I'm not 'mere' anything."

"That you are not." Slowly, he places his hands in hers, allowing her to help pull him up. "How did you know the things you did? Are you a priestess of the Norns?"

The Norns. Basically the three fates of Norse mythology. She shakes her head. "No, I don't follow the Norns."

"Then how-"

"That's my secret to tell, but only when I'm ready."

He glares at her a little but there's no true heat in it. "A mystery. I must warn you, my lady, that I do not usually allow mysteries to remain for long."

She holds in a snort. She's heard that before. "Well, I can guarantee that you won't be figuring out this one. Not until I decide to tell you."

"And when might that be?"

She looks at him a long moment. Loki seems a lot smaller now than when she first met him. He is no longer the alien "god" he tried to project himself to be. She can see his mortality catching up to him in the dark circles under his eyes and the way the greasy strands of his hair fall in front of a shallow face. There's bitterness and stubbornness in the lines of his gaunt form.

But she swears there's also a bit of light in his green eyes when before there was only darkness.

"I'll tell you when I take those off," she says, gesturing to his shackles.

For the first time he looks...unsure. But he doesn't give her a snide comment, just nods, and it makes her believe there may just be hope for him yet.

When Ari exits the suite she finds Sideswipe, Clint, and Natasha all waiting for her, their expressions stoic. She doesn't even have to ask to know what they were up to while waiting for her but she does it anyway, "So, I take it you heard all that?"

"We had Jarvis feed us the security footage," Natasha says, holding up her phone. "So, Loki was mind controlled as well?"

Ari nods. "Looks like."

"And you know this for sure?" she asks, eyes shifting to Ari's AllSpark marks.

"Yep."

"So now what do we do?" Sideswipe asks.

"Honestly, I'm not sure." Ari sighs heavily, rubbing a hand across her face. "I just...maybe we're supposed to help him get his powers back? He'd be a big help if all this leads to a battle."

"I don't know if I can just forgive him, Ari," Clint says darkly. "He still made me do those things. How am I supposed to just forgive and forget that?"

"Probably by asking yourself the same question as before, for starters—who do you really blame, the puppet or the puppeteer?"

Clint's jaw clenches and he doesn't say anything, just goes back into the suite to continue watching Loki and slamming the door behind him. Natasha sighs, going after her partner, but before opening the door she says, "He'll come around eventually, I think. It's just...a lot to process."

"Tell him we won't do anything until he's ready, okay?"

"I will, _kotyonok_. In the meantime, try to figure out how best to tell the others."

"I think that's something Loki needs to do himself."

Natasha frowns. "You'll need to convince him to actually try to change then."

"Loki is broken. He acts like he's already lost everything and there's no getting it back, so there's no point in him even trying to change anything. I think it's not really that he has to be convinced _to_ change. I have to convince him that he _can_ , that there is still a chance for him."

The question is, how?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of heavy stuff this chapter.
> 
> So, Loki isn't so bad after all. You guys probably saw that coming if you did the poll. I really like Loki in the movies and he could be a really good good guy if he wanted to be. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way and I've read other fics that took Loki this way, having everything he did be the fault of Thanos and the Mind Stone. But it wasn't all the stone, either, as they discussed in this chapter. He's still got some redemption to do and some stuff to figure out. But he'll get there.
> 
> Next chapter is a break from the heavy. Lots of good humor and fluff with, well, almost everybody.
> 
> Jeez, this is a lot of characters.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	10. Fellowship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been a while. Life has been extremely chaotic lately, featuring extended family moving in while they were between moving out of their old house and moving into their new house. They're gone now so things have settled into a sort of calm, though things aren't great. Every situation has been turning into the worst-case scenario lately.
> 
> But this chapter has some fun fluff in it, a nice change of pace from how things were last chapter (and how my life is right now). But before heading into that, I'd like to talk the latest Transformers movie. So if you haven't seen it yet, go straight to the story, because spoilers are ahead. But once you see the movie (or you simply don't care about spoilers), come back and read the next paragraph. Because my plans for the future of this series are probably going to change.
> 
> *sigh* I hate that I keep changing my mind about where to go with this series exactly and where to end it, but Primus, this latest movie struck a chord with me that is demanding that I include it in my series. Just the whole idea of the knights and Arthur and Merlin—I love it all. And Ari is a Witwiccan! Most likely, I'll have her be the descendant of Merlin able to wield the staff. So many ideas came to mind with that and I want to get my writer's hands all over it already. Then there's Unicron being inside the Earth and Cybertron coming to suck his energy. I'll probably change all of that, like, majorly. But like I've said before, I like the idea of a final showdown with Unicron. It seems like a fitting end to the series since Unicron is kind of the ultimate bad buy in the Transformers universe. So I might make Primus be inside the Earth and Unicron coming to suck the Earth away. I know that's not canon, but what are your thoughts on it?
> 
> Alright, go onward and enjoy some laughs!

The elevator doors open on the common room floor, instantly enveloping Ari and Sideswipe in the delicious smells of food. It isn't just any food, either. Not fast food, not restaurant food, and definitely not the food they serve back at the N.E.S.T. base. This is home cooking, the kind of smells they only get a whiff of back at the farmhouse when Sarah is in the kitchen.

Curious now, Ari and Sideswipe follow the tantalizing scent to find Darcy standing in front of the oven, fiddling with the settings on the high-tech touch screen.

"What in the world is that smell and how can I get some?" Sideswipe asks, practically pleading.

Ari rolls her eyes. "Sides, you don't need any food."

Darcy turns, stirring something in a bowl on the kitchen island as she eyes Sideswipe curiously. " _Can_ you even eat anything?"

Sideswipe nods enthusiastically. "Yes, I can, and I love to and would really like to eat whatever it is you're making."

"What _are_ you making?" Ari asks, she and Sides sitting down on some bar stools on the other side of the island across from Darcy.

"Oh, all sorts of things," Darcy says with a shrug, gaze roving over the kitchen counters. It kind of looks like the fridge and pantry exploded everywhere. Flour coats the counter, egg shells are in a pile next to the toaster, and there are empty packages waiting to be thrown away. The sink is full of dirty bowls, spoons, and other dishes, enough to where it looks like she made enough food to feed an army. For a week.

"Don't you think you went a little overboard?" Ari asks, a bit bewildered.

Darcy snorts. "I've seen Thor eat a whole box of poptarts and then still be hungry, eating a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, ham, sausage, and pancakes after that. And that was all when he was still human. Now he's got his godly mumbo jumbo back and I wouldn't be surprised if that speeds up his metabolism or something."

Darcy easily reaches for the ingredients spread out around her without hardly looking, eying the correct amount and then stirring it all in. "Plus, there's the rest of the team, and I've read up on them. Steve has to eat almost as much as Thor and I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Banner has to as well, what with that alter ego of his. I'm guessing it takes about at least fifteen meals-worth of food to get this lot fed, and then there's all the soldiers downstairs to boot. So, no, I don't think this is overboard. And I refuse to let them live off of sandwiches and takeout any longer."

"And you just decided to take all this on by yourself?" Sideswipe asks. "I'm sure Stark could, I don't know, hire catering or something."

"Are you kidding? The entire Tower is in lockdown right now. I highly doubt Stark is going to let a group of strangers come upstairs and feed us. So I've got three BBQ pork roasts in three different crockpots that I scrounged up from other apartments, there's baked mac n' cheese and green beans in the dual oven, I've got a salad, there's homemade alfredo sauce simmering on the stovetop for some pasta, and this is chocolate chip cookie dough that I'll bake later."

Ari blinks rapidly. "I...am not sure which of those I'm excited about more."

"Thanks," Darcy says with a pleased smile, depositing her spoon in the sink and wrapping the bowl of cookie dough with saran wrap. "My Nana used to cook like a fiend and she taught me everything she knew. I inherited her cookbooks and her penchant for taking care of everyone around her. I guess that's why I handle the Scientists Three so easily."

"And now you're just going to take on everyone else?"

She shrugs, putting the bowl in the fridge to cool. "Well, why not? It's no skin off my back. I'd need to get food ready for when the Scientists Three wake up anyway. Adding everyone else is no problem. Besides, all of Nana's recipes are kind of written to be made in bulk anyway."

"Why aren't you asleep?" Sideswipe asks curiously. "You must've gotten as little sleep as the scientists, right?"

Darcy's nose wrinkles up in disgust. "Yeah, but Stark's soundproofing isn't as good as what you'd expect for a billionaire. And Jane and Thor are busy 'making up'."

They can hear the air quotes dripping from her voice, Sideswipe and Ari side-eying each other with suppressed laughter.

Looks like their little distraction to get Thor away from Loki worked better than they thought it would.

"Why don't you just move to a different suite?" Ari asks, fighting the smile off her face.

Darcy gives her a deadpanned look. "Dude, I tried that. I could _still_ hear them. But whatever, I got plenty of catnaps in while the scientists worked. I'm a champion napper. And this just means I can get back at Jane later, use it as ammo to get her to eat or something."

"Well, the least we can do is help," Ari says, raising from her stool, but Darcy shakes her head.

"Nah, I got this. I feel like the freeloader out of everyone here. The least I can do is this."

Ari frowns but sits back down. "What do you mean?"

Darcy shrugs again, the lightness of before gone now and replaced with uncertainty. She fiddles with the bottles and utensils in front of her as she talks, straightening them in a line from big to small. "Well, I'm the only useless one here. Everyone else is doing something, trying to find the Chitauri or this Thanos guy, or will be ready to suit up when the fighting starts. And me? I'm just an intern who was at the right place at the right time to see some cool stuff and stuck around after the internship ended."

"You don't need to do much in order to help," Sideswipe says. "What you're already doing is more than enough to make you not useless."

"Doesn't feel like it," Darcy mumbles.

"Hey, look at me," Ari implores, waiting until Darcy meets her eyes before continuing. "All of us have a reason for being here. Maybe it's to fight, maybe it's just to help a little, but it's going to take all of us working together in order to win this. What you're doing now—taking care of everyone, making sure they stay healthy and able to keep going—it's important." Ari smirks, trying to bring some levity back. "Slag, you've probably averted at least three explosions already because you got the Scientists Three to take breaks."

Darcy snorts, a little smile spreading across her face. "Jane alone would be three. With two extra scientists, it's probably more like five or six."

"See? You've been an amazing help already."

"Yeah, I guess." The buzzer goes off on the oven and Darcy shakes herself, turning to turn off the oven and take out the mac n' cheese. "Anyway, all of this is just about done. Jarvis? Can you tell anyone awake that dinner is ready?"

"Certainly, Ms. Lewis," the A.I. replies.

Ari and Sideswipe stand together, taking out plates and silverware from the drawers and cabinets to set the dining table in the corner of the common room opposite the living area, a solid wooden thing that can easily fit eighteen people. They set places for each seat, unsure how many people will be joining them, but it makes Ari wonder.

To get a table this big, just how many people did Stark expect to be living in his tower?

They trickle in slowly. First comes Steve, who automatically helps Darcy set out all the food on the kitchen island in a buffet style for everyone to dig into. After that is a rumpled Banner—who looks like he just woke up—then Stark—who looks like he's been up for a while but at least looks rested—and then Pepper—who always looks perfect. After that is Clint and Natasha—taking a break from watching Loki—followed by Jane—who looks rested but definitely more than a little rumpled in the fun kind of way—but no Phil or Thor. Phil is back at S.H.I.E.L.D. and Thor is probably back to watching his brother. It makes Ari sad a little.

Thor and Loki should be able to join everyone else. Maybe if Ari can convince Loki to set the record straight, then maybe he can stop being ostracized and can get on track towards forgiveness. At any rate, she makes a mental note to grab some food for them before it's all devoured.

She's glad at least Clint and Natasha are here, though. They look better, especially Clint, like he's his usual self again. It doesn't look like just a cover either. Hopefully Clint was able to talk through his issues about Loki and is coming to terms with the fact that Loki isn't the bad guy he was led to believe.

"Are you sure we're allowed up here?" a voice suddenly asks, one Ari recognizes.

"Of course we are," another familiar voice replies. "That A.I. of Stark's told us to come up here and besides, he'd stop us from going anywhere we're not supposed to."

"If you say so…."

Ari looks over her shoulder and smiles when she sees Sunstreaker leading a group of soldiers out of the elevator—the twins Evie and John, Trent, Will, and Rob. Everyone else must be out on patrol.

Or these are the only ones brave enough to venture up into the Avengers' inner sanctum.

"Hey, guys," she says with a grin, going over to Will and sinking into his side for a hug. "We're just about to have dinner. You want to join us?"

"I don't know," Will says hesitantly but he doesn't pull away. "You sure we're not intruding?"

"Man, don't say that," Rob says. "You really want to say no to hanging out with a bunch of superheroes?"

"Yeah, we've already met two of them," Evie says, eying the Avengers eagerly.

John nods enthusiastically, his voice melding with his sister's in that eerie way of theirs. "And the two we've met are awesome. I want to meet the rest."

"Of course it's fine," Pepper assures from her place at the table, waving them over to some empty seats. "Come, sit."

"And you better hurry before all the food is gone," Stark quips. "Cap eats a full cow every day."

"I do not," Steve protests, setting down the last of the food on the island.

Stark rolls his eyes. "I've seen the specs on your metabolism. It's got to be close, right? In order to keep up with that body mass of yours."

They quickly dissolve into bickering, Clint and Darcy egging them on, Natasha adding in a few well-placed barbs at Stark, and Banner and Jane staying out of it. Ari would be worried if it wasn't for the subtle, upturned lips on all their faces.

"This is definitely a crazy bunch," Trent says with a quiet chuckle.

"You got that right," Sunny agrees. "Good thing we're experts in rolling with the crazy."

Pepper finally gets them all to calm down long enough so they can load up their plates with food. But as soon as they're all sitting at the table it starts up again, except this time with open laughter and mild food throwing.

A food fight is a near thing, only stopped by Natasha's glare.

Once everyone is full and the dishes put in the dishwasher, they move to the living room, except for Darcy who returns to the kitchen to start work on the cookies. Another debate starts up on what movie to watch, Steve wanting to see the next Disney movie, Stark wanting something rated higher than just PG, Jane saying rom-com, and the soldiers voting for action. Clint slips away to the kitchen—probably trying to pilfer some fresh cookies—and Banner tries to do the same to the lab but Ari catches him gently by the arm to stop him.

"Come on, Dr. Banner," she says quietly so only he hears over the loud voices. "Stay and relax with us."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," he hedges, looking towards the elevator and slipping his arm out of her hand. "I shouldn't be around so much…activity."

She nods thoughtfully, eying the heartbeat monitor on his wrist. Most likely it's one of the ones that starts beeping when a person's heartbeat gets going too fast but there is no beeping now, his heart rate nice and steady. "Look, Dr. Banner, I won't stop you if you really think you need to leave in order to avoid having another episode, but don't go making up excuses just to avoid people when you don't need to."

Banner stiffens. "Excuse me?"

"You have a better lid on the Hulk than you let people believe, don't you," she says, a statement, not a question. "Why are you forcing people away?"

"Because I'm dangerous," he says matter-of-factly, his dark brown eyes boring into hers. "The people who hang around me, they always end up hurt or worse. _Always_."

"No, they don't," Ari replies, just as matter-of-factly. "If that were true, then a lot more people would be dead in New York."

"That's just because the H-," he pauses, jaw clenching, "the Other Guy was more preoccupied with the Chitauri. If I change here, all of you are dead."

"If there was that much of a risk of you changing, then you would have done so long before now, just from working with Stark every day. I've gotten a good idea of how dangerous Stark is to be around in the lab. That isn't good for anyone's heart rate."

Banner looks back at the others sitting on the couches and chairs in front of the T.V., fear and longing passing across his face.

Ari decides to press her luck, stepping closer and touching his arm lightly again. "Come on, Dr. Banner. If you can handle Stark every day in the lab, then you can handle all of us on the couch for one evening."

"I...I don't..."

"It's not like any of us are exactly helpless either. And if worst comes to worst, the Autobots are just a couple floors away. They'll be enough to subdue the Hulk, right?"

"I don't know," he says, hands fidgeting. "Probably."

"So what do you say? Want to stick around?"

His eyes fly back to her at that and she realizes what it is she just asked. She asked him what it is he _wants_. When is the last time anyone asked him that? When is the last time he thought about that himself? Other people have gone ahead of his own wants and needs for years.

Would it really be so bad to give in to some of his wants now?

"Dr. Banner?" she prompts after he just stands and stares at the others for a few moments.

"Bruce."

"What?"

He finally turns his head back to her, a soft, genuine smile on his face. "Call me Bruce."

He takes one step towards the living area, pauses, and then continues walking, his stride getting more and more sure with each step. When he's close Stark slings an arm around his shoulders excitedly, drawing him closer to the others in order to show him something. Bruce looks at him, bemused, but he doesn't shrug away from the contact.

"You're good at that," Trent says, coming to stand beside her as they watch the others' antics.

"Good at what?" Ari asks curiously.

"At bringing people together, even when they're stubborn."

Ari grins, bumping her shoulder with his. "Well, after doing the same with you, anyone else is a cakewalk."

Trent glares at her playfully and is about to say something when there's a furious yell from the kitchen. Suddenly, Trent has her behind him protectively, Sideswipe is by her side, and Will is at her back with the others scurrying towards them. The Avengers also have Pepper and Jane pushed back behind them, their eyes looking towards the kitchen.

Where Darcy is hitting Clint with a spatula.

Ari rolls her eyes, shouldering out of the protective circle they've made. "Seriously, guys? So unnecessarily."

"Ari-" Sideswipe starts but she points her finger at him.

"Unnecessary," she says again and heads towards Clint who is failing rather splendidly at avoiding Darcy's blows. She tries to ask what's up but neither of them pay her any attention.

"Ow, hey!" Clint tries to grab at the offending utensil only to get hit in the arm with it again. "Cut that out! I'm sorry! I promise I won't steal your cookies!"

"I remember you!" Darcy fumes, punctuating each word with another hit.

"Darcy, what is going on?" Jane asks as she approaches her intern, everyone looking on curiously now that they know there is no threat.

Well, no serious threat.

"I remember him, Janey!" Darcy points the spatula at Clint accusingly. "He was in New Mexico with S.H.I.E.L.D. stealing our stuff. He tried to steal my cookies then, too!"

Recognition makes Jane's eyes go wide and then they narrow in anger. "I do remember you. You helped them cart away all my equipment."

"And S.H.I.E.L.D. has already apologized for all of that," Clint says, holding up his hands and looking back and forth between Darcy and Jane nervously. "We gave all of it back and we're not going to steal any of it again. Promise."

"And what about my iPod, huh?" Darcy asks, waving her spatula around dangerously. "I never got it back. What happened to it, you jackbooted thug?"

Clint's eyes round a little and Ari swears he actually looks a little bit scared. "I...I don't know where your iPod is." Darcy's eyes narrow and he hurriedly adds, "But I'll find out! I'll find it and get it back to you."

"You better. Or else next time I'll be using my taser instead of kitchen supplies."

"And don't think she won't," Jane adds in, standing shoulder to shoulder with Darcy and both of them looking just as dangerous as any Decepticon. "Darcy can be very trigger happy."

Clint nods rapidly and then makes a hasty retreat, jumping over the back of a couch and sinking into the corner like he's trying to hide.

Everyone else finally burst out laughing, unable to contain it any longer. Natasha goes to her partner's side, patting him consolingly on the shoulder. "Poor, poor Hawkeye. Done in by a college intern."

"Hey, I've been tazed before," he says petulantly. "Being tazed isn't fun. I was twitching for hours last time."

"And it won't happen again so long as you return her iPod," Jane says, sitting down in one of the chairs. "So, what movie are we watching?"

"We've got it narrowed down to _Harry Potter_ , _Star Wars_ , and _Lord of the Rings_ ," Steve says, rubbing the back of his head. "I have no idea what any of those are."

"And all of them are a necessity," Stark insists. "The number of references people make to any one of them on any given day has to be in the thousands."

"Plus they're actually good, unlike some of the other things the internet has decided to immortalize," Bruce adds, leaning back in his chair. "So which series are we starting?"

"Uh, don't you mean completing?" Evie asks. "You can't just start one of these and not finish them."

"We ain't finishing nothing," Rob says, "not right now anyway. We gotta go on patrol in three hours."

"Oh, slag," Evie and John say together.

"We probably won't do them all right now," Darcy says, carrying a tray loaded with cookies and setting it down on the coffee table. "The Scientists Three probably want to get back to the lab tonight, right?"

All three scientists nod, Stark saying something around a mouthful of cookies but no one understands what he says and so ignore him.

"I'm sure we can get through them all eventually," Pepper says. "Take it one or two movies at a time. But where do we begin?"

"Hey, Steve, you like to read, right?" Ari suddenly asks, an idea dawning on her.

"Yeah, of course," he says. "Couldn't always afford books but there was always the library."

"You ever read a book called _The Hobbit_ by J.R.R. Tolkien?"

Steve perks up with a smile. "Yeah. Bucky got me a copy for my birthday one year. Good book. One of my favorites."

"Well, the _Lord of the Rings_ movies are based on the books with the same name, written by Tolkien and a sequel to _The Hobbit_. I think _Fellowship of the Ring_ came out sometime after you fell in the ice."

"Really? There's more?"

Starks claps loudly, falling down on one of the couches. "That settles it then. Jarvis, que up _Fellowship_."

The T.V. turns on automatically, the opening credits coming up for their movie and everyone settles in for the show, either on the remaining couches or on the floor since there's not enough room for all of them. Ari manages to snag one of the couches, Sideswipe and Will on either side of her. Sideswipe snakes his arm around her shoulders and she settles against his chest, happy to just relax for a little while without all the what ifs and maybes and worries floating around her head—or anyone else's.

Yes, something bad is coming, something big, and they only have so much time to figure out what it is until it happens, but they also know that they won't be able to win the day running on fumes. Sometimes it's best to take a step back from everything and start again fresh.

"Hey, look, squirt, it's you!" Stark pronounces with glee whenever Frodo and his companions reach the city of Bree. The hobbits are shown amongst a crowd of humans, looking like children compared to all the taller people.

Ari glares at him, itching for a pillow to throw at him but those sitting on the floor are using them all at the moment. "I am not that short, Stark."

"I'd watch it if I were you," Trent chuckles, only half joking. "Anyone who calls her short tends to end up hurt. I learned that from experience."

Stark eyes him up and down, taking in Trent's large muscles and the fact that he's probably at least twice Ari's size. "Seriously? What she do to you?"

"Well, she did knee me in the groin."

Stark turns to Ari, horrified and hands automatically covering himself. "Jeez! You don't mess around."

Ari grins, the kind of grin Natasha uses when she's got her prey right here she wants them. "No, I don't. Not even Sideswipe gets away with the short jokes. So you better quit it, or you'll be sorry. Last warning."

"'Not even Sideswipe'? What, is he usually on some kind of exemption list?"

Ari and Sideswipe share a secretive smile. "If he plays his cards right, yeah."

The N.E.S.T. soldiers bite their lips, holding in laughter while Stark looks confused.

"What exemption list? How do I get on it? Something tells me I'll need it for survival."

"Sorry, Stark, it's a pretty exclusive list."

Sunstreaker snorts. "Yeah, a list of one."

"Why only Sideswipe?" Steve asks.

"What, you guys don't know?" Darcy asks, looking between Stark, Pepper, Steve, Bruce, and Jane and only seeing confusion. "Come on, guys, it's obvious."

"What's obvious?" Jane asks.

"They're married, duh."

All heads swivel towards Ari and Sideswipe, eyes rounded in surprise.

Ari tenses, Sideswipe's arm tightening around her. They knew this would probably happen eventually—they've all been living together for the past several days and their marriage isn't something they actively try to hide except from certain people who would abuse the knowledge—they just don't know how these people are going to react.

They refuse to be ashamed, but if someone isn't accepting, then their stay here could turn very awkward.

"That's...nice," Bruce says, breaking the silence, but it's obvious none of them really know what to say.

"Why?" Stark asks incredulously. "How? I mean, he's a giant alien robot, he's not-"

"It doesn't matter that he's not human," Ari snaps. "Sideswipe is still a person just like you and me. He has feelings, emotions. He has life and a soul. I am in love with who he is and he loves me. That's all either of us need."

"But he's still different," Steve says, genuine curiosity in his eyes. "He's big and metal. How do you look past that and make it work?"

"The holoform makes some things easier," Ari says, taking Sideswipe's other hand and clasping it in her lap.

"For the rest, it doesn't matter," Sides finishes for her. "I'm different from her, she's different from me, but neither of us care. She's small and fragile. I'm big and metal. We're both different than what either of our species typically consider attractive, but we've both accepted our differences and have found we can easily live with them, even love each other just a little bit more for them."

"Looks shouldn't matter anyway," Clint says, sliding just a little bit closer to Natasha on the couch. "Love is love. It isn't blinded by the superficial. Those two are closer than some of the marriages I've seen where the couple has been together for decades."

Stark's mouth opens and closes several times. "But...but he's an alien!"

"We all know Jane and Thor are together, though," Steve muses, "and none of us have questioned that. If you think about it, Ari and Sideswipe aren't so different from them."

"But Thor at least looks human."

"So what?" Jane asks, crossing her arms in front of her chest defiantly. "I know Thor and I are still...new, but even if he had green skin or whatever I think I...I'd still be falling in love with him. Sideswipe is right, looks don't really matter. Not where real love is concerned."

Stark's mouth snaps shut and after a moment he tilts his head, conceding the point. "It's still weird."

The tension in Ari's shoulders unwinds a little. "We can live with weird. So long as you don't criticize us or ostracize us for our marriage, then that's fine."

"We'd never do anything like that," Pepper assures with a soft smile. "This does explain a few things though."

Bruce clears his throat, looking down at his lap awkwardly. "You've already accepted me for...the Other Guy, so you and Sideswipe being a thing is no problem for me."

"I am curious though," Natasha says, turning to Darcy. "How did you know they were married?"

Darcy shrugs. "What? It's obvious."

"Obviously not," Stark retorts.

"How?" Natasha prompts again.

"They're wearing matching wedding bands," Darcy points out. "Plus they're always together and touching and doing lovey dovey stuff. Seriously, how was I the only one to notice?"

Natasha nods approvingly, giving Darcy a speculative look. "And you are fine with it as well?"

"Yeah, 'course. If I wasn't, then I would have said something sooner." She gives Ari and Sideswipe a thumbs up. "And if anyone here isn't okay with it, then I will happily taze them for you."

Ari and Sideswipe laugh, finally relaxing again. "We'll remember that," Ari says.

"Good," Will says with a nod, looking down to the other N.E.S.T. soldiers sitting on the ground. "I thought we were going to have to whoop some afts."

Sideswipe sighs as they return their attention to the movie, drawing Ari closer and dropping a kiss in her hair. _"Well, we certainly dodged a bullet there,"_ he comments through the bond.

_"Yeah,"_ Ari agrees. _"Hopefully our luck holds out for a while yet."_

* * *

They get through _Fellowship_ before the Scientists Three go back to the labs with Darcy and the soldiers go out on patrol. Clint and Natasha go back to watching Loki—Natasha taking a turn while Clint goes to get some sleep. Pepper goes to get some shut eye as well, leaving Ari and Sideswipe with just Steve. They go back to Disney movies, queuing up the next one on the T.V. to continue their night.

Ari doesn't make it all the way through the first one, though, falling asleep against Sideswipe's chest.

She rouses a little when he moves her, carrying her back to the suite. He changes her into her pajamas and tucks her in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. That's the last thing she remembers before sleep takes her.

Until a door in her mind opens up for her again, just hours after already doing so with Loki.

It doesn't just open, though, it _flings_ wide like the lock is busted, unable to keep out the hurricane winds. The AllSpark knowledge floods Ari's mind, pulling her under before she can cry out for help until it feels like she's lost, like she's lost even herself.

Blackness consumes her.

She expects the knowledge to take her somewhere, to show her something, but all that's around her is…darkness, the darkness of a night with no stars or moon, out in the middle of the desert with no signs of life around.

None that she can see, that is.

" _Ari,"_ a voice calls out in the darkness, one she does not know. It frightens her a little but her fear of the darkness is greater. Her breaths grow short, her chest constricted as if a heavy weight lies on top of it, and she runs towards that voice hoping it will help her.

The AllSpark has never done this to her before. It's shown her things but…not like this.

A light pinpricks in the distance, small but easy to see in this vast nothingness. Ari pushes her legs harder, feeling the strain of her muscles as she puts her enhancements to the test.

Only for her to plow head first into something, knocking her off her feet. Pain blossoms everywhere and she looks up to see what she hit. It's fuzzy at first, the pain making things blurry, but when she realizes she's staring at a white glowing skull suspended in the darkness, everything clarifies real fast.

She scrambles away, getting her feet back under her in preparation to run again.

" _Ari,"_ the voice calls again.

From the floating skull.

Only, it's not floating. In the small amount of light the skull gives off she can make out black robes covering a person with the skull in the center of a hood, fabric flowing like sails in a breeze she does not feel.

"Who the frag are you?" she asks, trying for courage but feeling sorely lacking at the moment.

The figure lifts its arm, a skeletal hand reaching out from the robes towards Ari. It curls its fingers, beckoning her closer, and Ari just shakes her head, backing up a step.

"I don't think so. I have no idea what's going on but I would very much like to wake up now."

Between one blink and the next the figure stands right in front of her, the skull face just inches from her own. She lets out an involuntary scream, stumbling backwards, but a bony hand grabs her arm before she falls. Its grip is strong, the bones digging into Ari's flesh, and she tries to yank her arm back. "Let go of me!"

The figure's other hand flashes up, grabbing Ari's chin to hold her steady and force her to look straight into those eyeless cavities, as dark as the darkness around them. Even without eyes, though, there's the distinct feeling of being watched, the hairs on the back of Ari's neck raising on end as a chill washes over her.

" _Death,"_ the figure rasps, sounding neither male nor female as the jaw opens to form the words without lips. _"He courts Death."_

"W-Who courts death?" she asks, hoping this thing will let her go if she just listens to what it has to say.

" _The Mad Titan. He prepares a gift. A gift of a thousand worlds."_

Thanos. It's talking about Thanos. "What do you mean, a gift of a thousand worlds? I don't understand."

" _Burn."_

"Burn?"

The skull's mouth opens wide, an inhuman scream tearing into Ari's ears. _"They will_ burn _!"_

Ari bolts upright with a scream on her lips, panic blinding her as thoroughly as the darkness. Sudden brightness pierces her retinas, stinging like she's been without light for days, trapped in that place. Tears blur her vision as she tries to make out where she is, to make sure that thing is gone. Someone grabs her and she screams again, flailing and hitting but they maneuver her until she is pinned against a chest, strong hands restraining her arms to her sides.

And then she feels the warmth of a spark at her back and Sideswipe's presence in her mind and the fight leaves her like a collapsing dam unable to hold the flood waters back any longer.

"That's right, Ari, it's just me, I've got you," he says in her ear and she turns in his arms, clinging to him as she cries. He holds her while she shakes, like if he just holds her tight enough it will keep her from crumbling into the sea.

Eventually, she has no more tears to give but her trembling continues, unable to shake what she just saw.

The warning she was just given.

"What happened?" Sideswipe asks, brushing her hair away from her face. It's wet with sweat and sticking to her skin. "Was it Ron?"

"No," Ari says, voice hoarse, and she wonders if she was screaming for longer than she thought. "Not a nightmare. It was the AllSpark."

His grip tightens further, anxiety pulsing along the bond. "What did it show you?"

"I-It was dark. There was nothing around me. And then all of a sudden there was this…figure. It looked like the Grim Reaper."

"Seriously? Skeleton and black robes and a scythe and all that?"

"No scythe but yeah, everything else. It's the freakiest thing I've ever seen but I…I think it was there to warn me."

"About what?"

"Thanos. It told me Thanos was going to burn a thousand worlds."

"Is that really what he plans on doing with the Infinity Stones? He's going to get all that power and just…destroy everything? What's the point?"

"I don't know. It said that Thanos…courts death. I don't know if it's supposed to mean he's just that homicidal or…I don't know." It almost reminds her of Unicron, wanting to destroy everything he and Primus created with the AllSpark, and it sends another shiver down Ari's spine. "I don't know, Sideswipe, and it scares me."

He kisses her brow, trying to give her a calm and reassurance he doesn't feel himself. "We'll figure it out. We always do. And we always win."

"But what if we don't this time?"

"You can't think like that, sweetspark. You _can't_. You need to stay strong, alright? Because if you start losing hope now, then we've already lost. If anyone can do this, we can. Because we've done the impossible before, right?"

She nods against his shoulder, taking in a deep breath and then letting it out slowly. "Yeah, you're right. We've been through a lot; have overcome a lot. If anyone can do it, it's us."

"Good." He tilts her chin up to kiss her, long and slow until the rest of her tension eases. "Do you want to try to sleep again?"

Ari bites her lip, tucking her head in the crook of his neck. "Honestly, I'm kind of afraid to close my eyes right now."

"T.V.?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

She knows staying awake won't stop the AllSpark from showing her things when it really wants to, but right now, she's more concerned with the nightmares. That vision has left an awful foreboding burrowed into her chest that isn't going to go away until all of this is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I couldn't keep things completely fluffy. Foreshadowing is just so much fun sometimes. Those of you who know the Marvel Universe may realize just what that little vision was talking about. The rest of you, well, you're just going to have to wait a few chapters.
> 
> Next chapter I will hopefully get out a lot sooner than this one. We'll have some more time with Loki, another family dinner that has some more Autobots in it this time, and the beginnings of a devious idea. :)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	11. Sentiment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back and I bring wonderful news!
> 
> I've finished writing this fic. And you know what that means?
> 
> You guys better buckle up because you've got a wild ride ahead of you. Postings are now accelerating to twice a week until this fic is done. Let's make it, say, Tuesdays and Thursdays. There are six chapters left after this one, seven including the epilogue but I'll post that along with the last actual chapter like I usually do, so that'll get us done in about three and a half weeks.
> 
> You guys ready for this? I know I am.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

After finding out the truth about Loki, Ari decides to start spending time with him. She wants to get to know him, and for him to get to know her. If she can make him like her, then maybe he'll start to like humans as a species as well. His dislike for humans seems to be one of his main issues, so if she can just get him past it, then maybe it'll help pave the way to him realizing himself that what he did was wrong.

She tells Thor of the conversation she had with Loki—receiving a very disapproving glare—but when she tells him that she knows the truth and wants to help he becomes more accommodating, leaving the suite so she can be alone with Loki whenever she drops by.

The thing is, Loki doesn't make it very easy.

The first time she goes to see him, she tries to start up a conversation. He ignores her every attempt, just continues to read his book. After thirty minutes of her words hitting a brick wall she gives up, going to watch more movies with Steve and regrouping.

After lunch she tries again, this time bringing a book of her own and just sitting and reading with him for a while. He seems to actually enjoy that a little—if the slight twitching of his lips is anything to go by—but it doesn't really accomplish anything other than getting used to each other's company.

She tries reading  _to_  him and he openly glares at her after a few sentences like a strict librarian trying to incinerate a noisy child with his eyes. She books a hasty retreat after that, laughing as she goes.

She swears she hears a quiet chuckle as she's closing the door.

Just before dinner she tries talking to him again, still not getting a response, so she tries just talking  _at_  him. She tells him about Earth, all the things she loves about the planet, all the places she wishes she could see and all the things she thinks he and Thor might enjoy. She tells him about the Autobots arriving, the things she's shown them since they've made Earth their new home and how they've explored it with such child-like wonder.

Still, Loki stays focused on his book, but she does have an ace up her sleeve. It's not something she wanted to use, but really, if she expects him to open up to her, then perhaps the best way to do that is to first open up herself.

So she shows him her scars and explains how she got them. She tells him about her biological father, Ron, and how he was abusive. She tells him of the horrible things he did—and almost did—to her and how the Autobots helped her get out.

The book is finally set down, Loki's eyes riveted to her as each scar is revealed.

"How could he do that to you?" Loki demands harshly, speaking for the first time. "His own flesh and blood, treated as trash."

She hears the echoes of what his own family did to him and so she says quietly, "You don't have to look like a monster in order to be a monster, Loki. The reverse is also true. Just because you look like a monster, that doesn't mean you are one. Looks don't mean much of anything. It's what's inside us that counts.

"Just look at Cybertronians. They're so different than the rest of us, but some of them are Autobots and some of them are Decepticons. Some of them want to protect all life—are our allies and friends—while others want nothing more than to destroy us. Everyone has the potential for evil, and everyone has the potential for good."

"Not the Frost Giants," Loki says bitterly. "They are an inherently evil race and would be all too happy to destroy this miserable realm of yours."

She shakes her head. "No, they're not. The Jotun have the potential for good and evil just like everyone else. They've just forgotten how to be good. That doesn't mean they have to stay evil, though. They can change, if they really want to. They don't have to be the monsters Odin and everyone else is Asgard has led you to believe. What sets us aside from the real monsters is that we don't give in to that evil. We rise above it. Every day, we choose to be better."

Loki looks at her skeptically. "Do you really think so?"

"Yeah. I do. It's not like the Decepticons have always been evil. There didn't used to be the two factions—just Cybertronians. And then Megatron made that choice. But even the Decepticons don't have to stay evil. I knew one by the name of Jetfire who switched sides to the Autobots."

"And what became of him?"

"He gave his life in order to keep the Decepticons from destroying our sun," she answers, almost in a whisper. A part of her still wishes things could have gone differently that day, that Jetfire would have allowed her to heal him, but he was an old bot and it was his choice. "He may have done some awful things before, but he made up for it. He chose to do better."

Loki is quiet again, for the longest time. Maybe she's lost him again, but she continues on anyway, needing him to hear this.

"You can choose to do better, too, you know." He looks up at her again with a surprising amount of shock. "You don't have to be the monster everyone thinks Frost Giants to be. You can be the first good Frost Giant in a long time. You already have people in your corner who believe you can do it."

"Oh really?" he sneers. "And who would that be?"

"Your family, of course."

"I have no family."

"Yes, you do. Will may not be my dad by blood but he's still my dad. The same with Sarah being my mom and Annabelle my sister. You don't need to share blood to be a family. Family cares about you, family loves you, even with all your faults. Even when you make mistakes. Family helps you pick yourself back up. They're there for you when you need them most."

He scoffs. "They are not here for me. They locked me in a cell."

"Just because family will help pick you up, that doesn't mean they won't let you fall down first, especially when learning from your mistakes seems to be the only way you learn. Your family still loves you, Loki. They still consider you family. Even if you don't think they do."

Loki looks down at his palms, made difficult because of the shackles. "I might be able to believe that about Frigga. I may even believe that about Thor. He refuses to stop calling me his brother, the dolt. But Odin does not care. I was someone to be used and then tossed aside, just like the Frost Giants tossed me aside."

Ari sighs deeply. "I agree, Odin is slag at parenting. He handled this entire thing so wrong it's no wonder things went as bad as they did. But I do believe he still loves you."

"Oh really? And how is that?"

"Because," she gets up from her seat, sitting down next to him on the sofa but keeping a foot distance between them, "instead of just locking you up for the rest of your life or executing you, he decided to give you a second chance."

"Oh, yes, this is quite the second chance he's given me," he says sarcastically.

"You still don't think you can change? You still don't think what you did was wrong?"

"Humans are insignificant creatures. Why does it matter what happens to you?"

"Because every life is precious. We deserve to live just as much as you do. Every living being does. Who are you to decide who lives and who dies? So what if you live longer than humans. So what if you have all this power. You're still going to die eventually, just like the rest of us. It's just going to take you longer. That doesn't make you any better than anyone else. That doesn't give you the right to decide the fate of an entire planet, especially a planet that never did anything to you."

"Fine," Loki grounds out through clenched teeth, "perhaps I am… _slightly_  grateful that your pathetic team of Avengers managed to stop me while under Thanos's control, but Jotunheim still deserves to perish."

"Why?"

"Because they are monsters!"

"No, they're not. They still have the potential for good."

"You keep saying that but I see no proof. You've never even met them."

"The proof is right here," she says. "The proof is you."

He flinches, shifting further away from her on the couch.

"Whether you like it or not, you are Jotun. You are a Frost Giant." He cringes back, cringes away from her like he's trying to hide away from the truth, but she doesn't let him get far, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And you have goodness inside of you."

His shoulders drop back down away from his ears but his head is bowed, his inky hair falling around his face like a curtain. "You are one of few to believe that."

"You'd be able to see it yourself if you'd just let go of that pride of yours."

"And how do you see it? What good have you seen in me?"

"Honestly, it  _is_  hard to see because you love to be an insensitive jerk."

He snorts but doesn't deny it, making her smirk.

"But you are here," she says, squeezing his shoulder, "helping us, giving us the information on Thanos we need instead of dangling it over our heads as a bargaining chip. You're not doing this out of any personal gain. That tells me you actually want to help. That tells me there's hope."

"Hope," he says, like the word feels unfamiliar on his tongue. "It is not something I have ever believed in. Such weak sentiment never did anyone any good. You can hope with all your being for rain to come, that doesn't mean it will."

"Some of the greatest triumphs in history are built on hope," she points out. "It's how revolutions are started to take down tyrants. It's how people are able to face war and tragedy and fear, and still keep on fighting. It's how I got through my time with Ron to one day get away from him. Sometimes hope is all we have. Sometimes it's all we  _need_. And it's all I need to believe that you can change, Loki. And if there's hope for you, then there's also hope for all Frost Giants. Maybe, one day, you could even help the Jotuns find it and get rid of the misconception that they are inherently evil."

Loki lifts his head, his hair falling aside to show his pale face. "How can so much optimism be contained in one small body?"

"Hey," she teases, shoving him with the hand still on his shoulder and then letting go. "I am not that short. No one gets to call me short."

He huffs in what could almost be called a laugh. "If you say so. Still, how can you have such optimism?"

"From experience. Hope has gotten me through a lot. But I wasn't always so optimistic." She smiles softly, thinking of last night after her vision when it felt like all hope was gone. "Someone had to show me how to be."

"Is this someone Sideswipe?"

Ari tilts her head curiously. "How did you know?"

"It was merely a guess. I can sense that you are bound to each other. It is a type of magic of its own, ancient but powerful. We call them soulbonds on Asgard but you call them soulmates on Midgard, do you not?"

She nods. "And Cybertronians call them sparkmates."

"It is rare for someone to find the one bound to their soul."

"Maybe on Asgard and especially on Midgard, but it's not so rare for Cybertronians. They mate with their sparkmate and no one else. Optimus and Elita are sparkmates, as are Ironhide and Chromia."

"And the others?"

"They haven't found theirs yet, or if they have they haven't acted on it. Not with this war going on. The sparkmate bond is so powerful that if one of us dies, then the other is soon to follow. We literally cannot live without each other. As you can imagine, that makes bonding dangerous with this war going on."

"Fascinating. I've never heard of the connection being so strong before."

"And it makes everyone that much more hopeful the war will end soon."

He rolls his eyes. "You and your hope again. Does it really work that well for you?"

"It does. Because we make it work, by fighting, by not giving up, by doing our best, and by working together."

"So by sentiment."

"Why do you hate sentiment so much? Is it really that bad?"

"Yes, because it is weak."

"Oh, Loki," she sighs. "You have more to learn than I thought. Sentiment doesn't make us weak. It's what makes us strong, and it's what defeated you."

"The Hulk defeated me."

"No, he didn't. And if you can't learn that, then you'll never get your powers back."

"Ms. Lennox," Jarvis suddenly interrupts.

Ari blinks a few times, the bubble that had formed around her and Loki suddenly popped. "Yes, Jarvis?"

"Ms. Lewis would like me to inform you that dinner is ready."

"Alright, I'll be right there. Thank you, Jarvis."

"You are quite welcome."

She stands from her seat, looking down on Loki with a small smile. "I'll be by again later with some dinner for you."

She moves to leave but Loki's voice stops her. "Lady Ari, why have you insisted on coming to see me so much this day?"

Her smile broadens. "Because I want to be your friend."

He blinks at her blankly, nodding his head in understanding without any other reaction, but she thinks she said the right thing. When is the last time someone has been in his presence without being afraid of him? When is the last time someone simply talked to him?

When is the last time someone treated him as a person instead of a monster? When is the last time someone actually acted as his friend?

Ari gets the feeling that the answer to any of those questions is—not for a very long time.

* * *

Dinner is a bit different than the previous night. Darcy still cooks but she leaves all the food out for everyone to pick from and then she returns to the lab to continue watching over the Scientists Three who are still diligently working. Thor is also absent, again, returning to watching Loki along with Natasha, and Phil is at S.H.I.E.L.D. after dropping by earlier to check on their progress. That leaves Steve, Clint, Pepper, and Ari as the only humans present since all the N.E.S.T. soldiers in the building only just returned and have opted to go straight to bed after a long day patrolling.

Some Autobots beside Sideswipe and Sunstreaker decide to join them this time though—Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Jazz being the resident bots at the moment.

Ari smiles when she sees them, giving Optimus a big hug. It feels like she hasn't seen any of them in forever. Everything's been just so full speed ahead lately.

Optimus chuckles against the top of her head, holding her tightly. "It is good to see you as well, Ari."

"Did you guys want some of this food? We've got plenty."

"We simply came for the company."

"I could go for some food," Jazz says with a grin. "I could always eat."

"For people who don't need to eat, you guys certainly eat a lot," Steve says as they all sit down at the table with their food.

"Experiencing different flavors is a luxury we did not get to experience until coming to Earth," Optimus says. "Since discovering human food, we have come to…enjoy it whenever possible."

"Some of us a lot more than others," Ironhide says, watching as Jazz digs into his huge helping of mashed potatoes.

"What?" Jazz says innocently when he notices the staring.

"Save some for the humans who actually need it, you dolt."

"Oh, don't worry," Pepper says offhandedly. "We have plenty of food to go around."

"If not, then there's always takeout," Clint supplies.

Pepper sighs. "You can't live off of takeout alone, Clint, that's something I keep telling Tony."

"Sure you can. I do it all the time on missions. It's certainly better than surviving off of the M.R.E.s that S.H.I.E.L.D. hands out to agents like candy."

"That's still not healthy."

"Those M.R.E.s aren't healthy and they taste like slag."

"That's still not-"

"So, what is it you guys do?" Steve cuts off before the argument can spiral, directing the question towards the Autobots. "I mean, you don't just sit around waiting for the Decepticons to show up, right?"

"In the beginning, that's how it was," Optimus answers, "but as time has passed and the Decepticons have decreased in number, our operations have expanded into helping the world we call home."

Steve stiffens, shuffling the fork and knife around in his hands uneasily. "Help the world how?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. sends us on missions," Ironhide says, "missions deemed too dangerous for even their best agents to attempt."

Clint pouts. "I think I'm supposed to resent that."

"Trust us," Ratchet says, "these are missions you would not want. Our N.E.S.T. soldiers only come with us because they're trained to fight with us, but most of these missions we only accomplish because our race is more indestructible than yours."

"Can you give us an example?" Steve asks.

"There's the mission we just finished," Jazz says. "It was in the middle east. A warlord had gotten a hold of some nuclear warheads. He was a tough little glitch with an entire army at his back."

"I heard about that. Natasha and I wanted to go in but S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't let us. Said they sent in someone else. That was you?"

"Yep. And we kicked aft."

"Did you find out how they got the warhead and what they were planning to do with it?"

"That, we do not know," Optimus says.

Steve's jaw clenches. "So you didn't know all the details but you went on the mission anyway?"

Optimus's brow furrows. "Just what are you implying?"

"It's not like N.E.S.T. and the Autobots go on just any mission S.H.I.E.L.D. throws at them," Ari interjects, sitting up straighter in her seat. "If we allowed that, then Galloway and the World Security Council would start to push and nudge until they were walking right over us. This is part of my job as Autobot Ambassador. Any missions S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to send them on are vetted by me. No one goes anywhere until I've given my stamp of approval."

Steve crosses his arms in front of his chest. "And what experience do you have in making decisions like that?"

Oh, he did not just imply she's too young for this job.

"I have been through three battles to save the world so far," Ari says, trying to keep the ice out of her voice, "which I'm pretty sure puts me ahead of you and most of the Avengers. I have a degree in political science from one of the best colleges in the country and I have been personally trained by Phil Coulson himself in order to handle this position. I  _am_  qualified. But even with that, I know these decisions are best not left up to just one person, especially since I never actually go on any of these missions myself. I value the opinions of the people around me. So when Phil comes to the base with a mission for us, he sits down with not only me, but with Will, Rob, Optimus, and Elita as well. Phil presents the mission and we all discuss it. If not even one of us like it, they don't go."

"And you're okay with not knowing all the details?"

"Normally, no, but come on, Steve. It was a nuclear warhead. We couldn't just let that one go. The mission, as approved by me, was to find this warlord, take him into custody, and destroy the warhead."

"Which we succeeded in doing," Optimus adds.

"I'm surprised S.H.I.E.L.D. went along with that," Steve says. "They were really okay with destroying the warhead instead of retrieving?"

Ari shakes her head with a laugh. "Oh, no, when Phil first presented the mission, it was to retrieve the warhead. But no one needs yet another nuke. There are enough to go around already, so I told him that if S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted the warhead retrieved, then they better send someone else after it."

Steve leans back in his seat and uncrosses his arms. "Wow, and they actually agreed with your terms."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. knows the Autobots and N.E.S.T. can get the job done, no matter how difficult. Their need for our help outweighed their need for the warhead." Ari smirks. "Which happens quite often. It allows me to push for things when I need to, but I know not too push the envelope too far. There are things even Nick won't let fly, but a little wiggle room is all I need to make sure everyone stays safe and that the right thing gets done."

A grin spreads across Steve's face and he nods, impressed. "Alright, I gotta admit, you're good."

Ari smiles brightly. "Why thank you."

"You should see her organizing pranks," Sunstreaker says with a shudder. "It can be downright scary."

Ari's smile just widens, turning sharp and mischievous with the threat of an evil laugh coming out any moment. Now that just gives her a wonderful idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, bonding! And yay, Autobots again! Sorry it's been so long since we've last seen the Autobots. There's just so many characters in this fic now and I wanted to focus on the new friends Ari's making. Hopefully next fic I can get things to even out a little.
> 
> Next chapter. Guys, next chapter has to be my absolute favorite of this entire fic. Just...so much fun! It will be up on Thursday.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	12. God of Mischief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back for my second posting of the week. It's weird posting more often now. Almost forgot I had to do this today. But I've been looking forward to this chapter for forever!
> 
> It's a prank chapter!
> 
> And before I give away any more, go onward and enjoy!

The next day, Ari rallies the forces, which consist of Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Clint, and Natasha. She would bring in John and Evie as well, but she's not entirely comfortable bringing in humans of the non-superhero variety just yet. Loki still has a long way to go before she'll let her friends near him.

She highly doubts John and Evie would want to spend time with Loki anyway, not without knowing the truth, and she doesn't believe it's time to reveal that just yet. Again, Loki still has a long way to go, and she's not sure the Avengers will believe the story if he doesn't start to change.

But that's the point of today. Loki could use some friends, and fellow pranksters sound right up his alley. The thing is, the feeling isn't exactly mutual.

"Ari, are you sure about this?" Clint asks for the fifth time now.

Ari rolls her eyes, wishing they were using duct tape for this prank. "Yes, Clint, I'm sure."

"But you're talking about taking Loki out of his room to go wandering around the Tower. There's no telling what he'll do."

The elevator dings, the doors opening to let the five of them on. "And what do you think he'll do? He's powerless, handcuffed, and, as far as I can tell, means none of us any harm. You know the truth of what happened, Clint. He's never actually wanted to hurt any of us before and I don't see him starting now. So again, yes, I'm sure."

Clint pushes the button for Thor's floor with his thumb harder than necessary, turning to her with crossed arms. "Just because Thanos was using him, that doesn't mean we should trust him."

"And you're not going to trust him if you don't spend time with him." Ari sighs heavily, tired of going round and round in circles. "Look, Clint, you don't have to come with us if you don't want to, but I'd like you to. Loki needs some good influences right now. He hasn't had any besides his mother in a long time, if not ever. If he's going to learn anything, it has to come from us."

"And you think taking him out to go pranking is being a good influence?"

"It's something he knows and enjoys, plus it's something we actually all have in common. Maybe having some fun will help him open up a bit more, and maybe help him like us more, too. That's what he needs if he's ever going to get out of those cuffs."

"Why do you even care about helping him so much anyway?"

"Because," she says, words hissing between her teeth as she steps up close to him, practically toe to toe, "I saw what he's been through and it was the most horrible thing I've ever seen, even after Ron and all the battles and the torture. Loki's had it worse. So much worse. Life dealt him a slaggy hand and I just want to help make it better. Because no one should have had to go through all of that."

Clint's jaw clenches. "He made  _me_  go through some of that."

"Not by choice. He's not the monster you think he is, Clint. If you spend time with him, you'll see that."

"I do spend time with him. I guard him every day."

"I don't mean sitting in silence ignoring each other. I mean talking to him, doing things with him, getting to know him. That's how trust is built."

"It's just…." Clint takes in a deep breath and lets it out in one big gust. "I don't see what you see. I don't see the good in him."

"That's because you can't look past what he did to you. But Clint, people don't blame you for what you did while under the Mind Stone's control. Why is it so hard to do the same for him?"

Clint stands there for a long second. The elevator has already arrived at Thor's floor but none of them move, waiting for Clint's decision. Finally, he nods, exiting the elevator and heading down the hallway. They follow after him and he stops in front of Loki's door, looking back at Ari a bit uneasily but determined. "Fine. I'll give him a chance. But if he doesn't change and things go south, I'm putting an arrow in his eye socket."

Ari smiles. "That's all I need."

Natasha gives her partner's arm a squeeze. "It'll be okay, Clint. With all of us there, nothing will happen. And if something does, we've got your back."

"Yeah," Sunstreaker say. "I'll just wrap my hand around his middle and hold him still for you."

The corners of Clint's mouth twitch up in a smile. "And what if I like more of a challenge?"

"Then Sunny and I can toss him back and forth for yah," Sideswipe says, much too eagerly.

"Come on guys," Ari says with a sigh. "We're supposed to try to befriend him, not try coming up with ways to kill him."

Clint shrugs, knocking on the door. "It always pays to have a backup plan."

Thor's booming voice tells them to come in and they enter the apartment, finding Loki and Thor sitting at the dining table just finishing up breakfast. Loki's eyes roam over their group and he gives her a withering look. "Have you brought more people to try talking to me now or is this a zoo trip?"

Ari rolls her eyes. "This isn't a field trip for us, but this is a field trip for you."

"Oh, really?" he says, trying not to sound interested but he hasn't left this room for days. He has to be going stir crazy.

"I am not sure that is wise," Thor says hesitantly.

"Sure, it is," Ari says with a shrug. "It's not like he's been banned from leaving the room. He's just not supposed to be left alone."

"I am still not sure Stark will approve. This is his home and he has strongly expressed that he does not like my brother here."

"Well, then it's a good thing that Darcy just sent the Scientists Three to bed then. He won't know what we're up to until he wakes up."

"And what is it we'll be up to, Lady Ari?" Loki asks.

Ari gives him a sly smile. "I hear you're not just the God of Lies but the God of Mischief as well?"

Loki's smile mirrors hers. "I have been called by that title, yes."

"Then how would you like to join us in a little mischief?"

Loki's smile widens until it is full of teeth. "It would be my genuine pleasure."

Thor's eyes widen in alarm. "I don't think-"

"Chill out, big guy," Sunstreaker says. "It's just going to be some harmless fun."

"Fun for Loki is not always harmless."

"Yeah, but he's without his powers right now and we'll be right there with him."

Thor still hesitates but Loki stands eagerly. "Really, Thor, it will be just as they say, some harmless fun. You have my word."

"Forgive me if that does not fill me with confidence."

"Just come with us if you're really that worried," Ari says, "but we need to get going, so decide."

After a moment, Thor gives in with a long sigh, nodding them towards the door.

Loki is the first one out.

"So, what did you have in mind exactly?" Loki asks as they head for the elevator.

"Well, the lab is empty right now because Darcy kicked the scientists out," Ari says, a gleeful look in her eye as she watches the floor numbers go down. "And I've had my eye on Stark since we got here."

Loki barks out a genuine laugh. "Oh, I like the way you think. And what sort of mischief and mayhem are we planning?"

"Nothing too rash," Natasha says, a bit of warning in her voice. "They still have a lot of important work to do."

"That doesn't mean we can't mess with him a little bit though," Sunstreaker says eagerly.

"We've got all the fixings for a little bit of mischief," Sideswipe says, opening up one of the grocery bags he's carrying to show everyone the contents. "We've got paint, glitter, white glue, superglue, and, my personal favorite, googly eyes."

Loki arches a brow. "Googly eyes? Sounds repulsive."

Ari laughs, digging around in Sideswipe's bag and pulling out the package of googly eyes, enough for two hundred pairs. "They're not real eyes, see? They're plastic."

Loki takes the package from her, looking it over curiously with Thor peering down over his shoulder. He shakes it, making the googly eyes rattle as the black circle of the pupil moves around in the white plastic circle. After a moment, he gives her a dubious look. "Are you serious?"

"What, it's for arts and crafts." Ari takes the package back, returning it to the bag. "You've got crafts on Asgard, right?"

"Nothing like that." Thor says, bewildered.

"What can I say, kids like to add a goofy mix to their creations." The elevator opens and they peek inside Stark's lab. All the lights and machines are off, the room abandoned for the next several hours. Ari grins. "Come on. Let's go."

"And what do you expect me to do?" Loki asks, holding up his chained wrists. It'll be hard for him to use his hands but it's not impossible.

"You can help Sideswipe and me with the googly eyes. Clint, Nat, you guys take the glitter. Sunstreaker, you've got the paint. Remember, don't break anything or mess with any of the important stuff. Everything else is fair game."

"That doesn't leave a whole lot," Clint says.

"Sure, it does," Natasha says, pilfering the white glue and glitter from one of the bags Sunstreaker is carrying. "You just need a bit of imagination."

"Thor, you want to get in on this?" Sunstreaker asks, holding up a can of pink paint in offering.

Thor looks around nervously. "I…think I would rather not."

"What, afraid of getting caught?" Sideswipe teases.

"I am afraid of my Lady Jane's wrath once she finds out."

Clint snorts, spreading glue on the seat of one of the stools. "Dude, you are so whipped."

Natasha props a hip on the workbench next to Clint, holding the gallon-sized bottle of glue and eyeing him pointedly.

Clint gulps. "Right. Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Thor chuckles. "A wise decision, my friend. Which is why I shall be sitting over here, where I can truthfully say I had nothing to do with your shenanigans."

Thor pulls a stool to the front of the lab near the doors and sits, the chair squeaking slightly under his weight but holding. With him watching on, everyone else sets to work. Natasha and Clint go from chair to chair, coating them in glitter, while Sunstreaker starts painting the claw robots over near the testing area.

Ari, Sideswipe, and Loki go over to the kitchen area of the lab, where there's a counter with a sink bracketed on either side by a refrigerator and cabinets above it. Ari opens one refrigerator, peering inside cautiously. "I think this one is used for keeping biological experiments cool."

"How about we not touch that one," Sideswipe says. "Who knows what sort of contaminated things Stark's got in there."

"Who knows what contaminated things Stark has in _here_ ," Loki says, opening the other fridge. Ari and Sideswipe join him to peer inside and are…surprised by how neat it is. There are meals boxed up in tupperware all neatly stacked and organized by content. There's no strange films, nothing rotting, nothing half-open, just…clean.

"This is cleaner than the fridge back home," Ari can't help but blurt out. "And Mom keeps the house really neat despite Dad's attempts to make it otherwise. Stark definitely didn't do this himself."

"Darcy really is a good influence," Sideswipe muses, kneeling in front of the refrigerator and riffling through his bag. He takes out the package of googly eyes, opening it carefully so as not to spill any. He offers the package up to Loki, shaking it a little. "Want the first go?"

Loki takes the eyes reluctantly. "And what, pray tell, am I supposed to do with these?"

"Here, I'll show you." Ari takes the package from him and fishes out two eyes. Setting it aside on the counter, she then picks out one of the tupperware boxes. Sideswipe opens up the superglue bottle, offering it to her, which she then uses to superglue the googly eyes to the plastic.

And now it looks like the tupperware has eyes.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen," Loki deadpans.

Ari smirks. "Yes, I know. Just imagine what it'll look like once the entire kitchen area has eyes. Which reminds me, Sides, did you get-"

"Right here." Sideswipe holds up two jumbo-sized googly eyes bigger than her head.

Her smile spreads to a grin. "Absolutely perfect."

"And where are you putting that?" Loki asks.

"You'll see. So, you want to try?"

Loki looks around the room haplessly and then shrugs. "Might as well. Entertainment is so limited these days. Though this is not exactly what I had in mind when you said mischief."

"Sorry we don't hold up to your standards," she replies, voice thick with sarcasm. She hands him a googly eye and the tube of superglue, watching with amusement as he struggles to maneuver his cuffed hands to squeeze glue on the back of the eye. "Do you need some help there?"

He glares at her. "No, I think I have it."

Loki squirts way too much glue on the googly eye, the clear liquid spilling over on his fingers, and his glare turns sour.

Ari laughs. "You only need one drop, not a whole bunch." She takes the eye from him, sticking it to a box before leading him over to the sink. "Wash your hands before it dries."

"What is this substance?" he asks in disdain, running his hands under the water. After a moment, he pulls his hands out and rubs his fingers together. "And what has it done to my skin?"

"It's called superglue. It's a fast-acting adhesive that dries really fast. That's why your fingers feel rough. It's just dry glue."

"And how do I get it off?"

"You have to wait for it to peel off on its own, sorry. Just be glad you didn't end up gluing your fingers together. Now that hurts. Trying to pull your fingers apart again feels like the skin is going to rip off."

Loki's nose screws up. "Lovely."

"Just be careful." She holds out another eye and the glue again. "Want to try again?"

He sighs but takes them, and they diligently set to work.

The scientists are supposed to be out for several hours—an enforcement of Darcy's—but Jarvis is watching out for any potential early arrivals. If a computer program can be amused, Jarvis definitely is at the prospect of them getting the upper hand on Stark. So, they take their time, spending almost five hours in the lab systematically defiling anything not absolutely necessary for the scientists' work.

Loki continues to be a bit dubious at first, but then they finish the fridge, eyes looking back at them from every container, condiment, and shelf, with the huge pair of googly eyes stuck to the front of the fridge. The three of them stand back, admiring their work, and Loki actually cracks a smile.

He takes the googly eyes again, going around the room and attaching the remaining eyes to whatever he can find. Cabinets, tools, computers, the wall—nothing is safe—and by the time they run out of eyes the entire lab is covered.

"This is more satisfying than I thought it would be," Loki says, far less reluctantly than she thought he would. "And they can't be taken off?"

"Nope," Ari chirps. "At least, not very easily. I'm sure Stark will come up with something eventually, but superglue is as the name implies—super sticky. He's going to have these eyes watching him for a while."

"Excellent."

They wander over to the testing area where Sunstreaker seems to be putting the finishing touches on the last robot. All three of them are covered in hot pink, light pink, and purple paint, designed to look as sparkly and flashy as princesses.

Sideswipe laughs. "Oh, Stark is gonna  _flip_!"

"That is most impressive," Loki says agrees.

"Yeah, Sunny, it looks cool," Ari complains. "We're supposed to be pranking him, not doing something neat for him."

Sunstreaker raises a skeptical brow. "You may like it, but do you really think Stark will? As far as I can tell, Stark doesn't have a lick of pink or purple  _anywhere_. Trust me, he's not going to like his robots turned girly."

"Is the paint going to compromise functionality when it dries?" Natasha asks from across the room where she and Clint are just wrapping up.

"Course not. I've painted Autobots' bipedal forms before. I know how not to compromise functionality."

"So are you an artisan among your people?" Loki asks.

Sunstreaker shrugs, closing the cans of paint. "Yeah. At least, I used to be. Hard to find time to make anything nowadays, though, what with the war going on and all."

"What sort of artwork do you prefer?"

"Painting and metalwork mostly."

Sunny gathers his paintbrushes and goes over to the kitchen sink to wash them off, smirking at the googly eyes staring back at him on the faucet head. "But like I said, no real time to indulge, unless I'm making blades that is."

"You painted my bedroom ceiling back at the farmhouse though," Ari points out, pulling out her phone and bring up a picture she took of it. "It's amazing."

She shows it to Loki, Natasha and Clint coming over to take a look as well. "That is awesome," Clint says in admiration.

Loki looks up in surprise, noticing for the first time how close the two spies are willingly standing next to him. Ari smiles, hoping this is a step in the right direction, but then Loki frowns.

And that is when she notices  _Clint_.

"Clint, what happened to you?" Ari asks, trying to fight down hysterical laughter.

Clint is absolutely  _covered_ , from head to toe, in glitter. It's all over his clothes, his arms, his face, even his hair.

"Indeed," Loki says. "You were supposed to glitter the furniture, not yourself."

Clint glares at him, though there's no true anger in it. "What, glitter is messy. All the best things are. Nothing wrong with that."

"Natasha didn't get a speck on her," Sideswipe says, and he's right. Natasha looks clean and impeccable as always.

A half-smile pulls at Natasha's lips. "He got a little carried away."

"No kidding," Sunny says.

"You did actually succeed in your task, yes?" Loki sneers. "You didn't use it all on yourself?"

"Yeah, we finished." Clint gestures over to the workbenches where all of the stools have been covered in purple glitter. "Even got some left over. So  _ha_."

"Yes, I can see that. You had so much left over you decided to turn yourself purple."

"Did you decide to relive your circus days?" Sideswipe jokes.

Clint's eyes go wide, looking from Sideswipe to Natasha to Ari. "Why does he know about that? Ari, you didn't seriously-"

"Of course I did," Ari says with a conniving smile. "I told you I'd find a picture."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to show anybody!"

Sideswipe snorts. "Like she could keep that from me. Something so priceless? It demands to be shown."

"What are you talking about?" Sunny asks.

"Don't ask!" Clint says desperately but it's too late. Both Sides and Sunny go quiet for a moment, their eyes dimming slightly, and it's obvious Sideswipe is showing him the picture of Clint's old circus poster from when he was young, decked out in his purple costume as the Amazing Hawkeye.

Sunstreaker bursts into laughter, Sideswipe snickering along beside him.

Clint groans, knocking his forehead against Natasha's shoulder who just pats his head, shaking her head in false pity.

"Just what are they going on about?" Loki asks, looking towards Ari.

Ari flips through the pictures on her phone again. "Here, I think I still have the picture."

"Don't you dare!" Clint warns, stalking towards them.

Ari laughs, finding the picture and giving the phone to Loki before Clint can reach them. Loki quickly dashes away with it, Clint running after him.

"Oh, this is quite the likeness of you, Hawk," Loki calls out as he runs, looking down at the phone in delight while perfectly maneuvering around the lab. "And the color is very flattering. Tell me, is there a way to make more of this picture? I believe others would appreciate seeing you in such a striking shade."

"No one say a fragging word!" Clint yells, picking up the bag of leftover glitter as he passes the workbench and continuing his chase. "Come back here!"

Ari, Sides, Sunny, and Natasha laugh as they watch the two running around the room, Thor coming over to join them with a smile on his face.

"That is a sight I thought I would never see," Thor says as Clint finally catches up, spilling the contents of the glitter bag all over Loki.

"See what?" Ari asks in between giggles.

"Loki making a friend."

Loki shakes his head like a dog, trying to get the glitter out of his hair and all over Clint. " _That's_  Loki making a friend?"

Thor chuckles, the sound more booming than the usual chuckle would be. "Believe it or not, yes."

"He's right," Natasha says, watching her partner with mirth. "And that's Clint making a friend, too, now that he's relaxed enough to see Loki as an actual person. They'll get along splendidly now."

Sunny snorts. "Yeah, like a house on fire."

Ari smiles, watching the grins on Loki's and Clint's faces as they throw excess glitter at each other. "But those are the best kind of friends."

"Sorry to intrude," Jarvis suddenly says, "but Sir has woken up early and is currently on his way to the lab despite Ms. Potts's efforts to persuade him to get more rest."

Ari's heart rises to her throat and everyone is a flurry of motion.

They scramble to pick up all their supplies and put things back to the way they were—except for the obvious differences—then they're tearing out of Stark's lab. The elevator dings at the end of the hall and they back pedal, detouring back the way they came to one of the other labs. This lab is currently unoccupied so it just has the bare bones of kitchen, workbenches, and stools. They duck behind the benches, keeping the lights off since they are very aware of the clear glass wall that makes the entire lab visible from the hallway.

They crouch in silence, ears straining for any sign of Stark coming.

Footsteps clack against tile, echoing, but they stop before they go past the lab they're hiding in. There's a collective sigh of relief, but then they're holding their breath again—this time in anticipation.

A few seconds go by.

And then a startled squawk followed by a truly impressive stream of curse words.

"Who did this?" Stark sputters, his voice easily filtering down to them. "My stuff…glitter…pink… _eyes_! Jarvis, call my suit. I'm killing whoever did this!"

"Sir, I  _could_  call your suit," Jarvis says, voice filled with fake apology, "but I'm afraid you'll still be without a target."

"What are you saying, J? I don't have time for this. There are people to kill. Now tell me who did it!"

"Sir, I'm afraid I don't know."

" _What_? That's impossible! Bring up the security footage."

"I can't, sir. It appears to be corrupted."

"Are you telling me that someone hacked  _you_ —which is impossible, by the way, since  _I_  made you—just to prank my lab?"

"I believe so, Sir" Jarvis replies, quite happily

Ari presses her face to Sideswipe's shoulder, trying to smother her laughter as the others do the same around her. A chuckle escapes Thor's mouth, almost too loud, and Loki clasps a hand over his mouth to quiet him.

Stark lets out more curses. "J, can you at least tell me if the hack was external or internal?"

There's a prolonged silence and they exchange worried glances. They didn't really hack Jarvis. The footage is "corrupted" because Natasha "convinced" Jarvis to erase any footage of them in the lab. Ari isn't sure exactly what Natasha said but it convinced Jarvis to do what she said despite Jarvis' protocols that keep him from lying to Stark.

Ari would love to learn that trick. Maybe it would work on Skids and Mudflap.

"I'm afraid I cannot determine the location of the source, Sir," Jarvis finally replies and they grin.

Stark's tantrum continues and they creep down the hallway towards Stark's lab to peek inside. He's trying to pry off the giant googly eyes from the fridge and they have to suppress their laughter, heading back towards the elevator before they give themselves away.

Primus, superglue is fragging great.

The elevator doors open for them—thankfully not dinging—and Ari smiles up at the nearest security camera as a silent thank you. Once the doors close and the elevator gets moving, only then do they let loose their laughter like a shaken soda can.

"That was great," Sideswipe crows, wiping tears from his eyes. "That was fragging perfect."

"Truly, it was," Loki agrees, his breaths shaking as he struggles to bring himself back under control. The laughter dies down but the smiles remain, big and bright, even on Loki. This is the lightest, the most open, she's ever seen him, and he turns that smile towards her. "Thank you, Lady Ari. Today has been…the most fun I've had in centuries."

"Well, I'm glad us 'mere mortals' were able to show you a good time," Ari teases.

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, I suppose some of you Midgardians are actually worth the space you take up."

Sunstreaker snorts, choking on more laughter.

Loki raises a brow at him. "Something you would like to add?"

"Sorry," Sunny chuckles. "I just can't take this whole better-than-thou act you got going on seriously when you look like that."

Loki looks down at himself, covered in purple glitter almost as bad as Clint. "Well…I must say, I've definitely ended up worst before."

One of Ari's doors rattles a little, showing her an image of Thor dressed up in a wedding dress with Loki as his bridesmaid. It reminds her of a Greek myth she read about in college and her eyes sparkle. "Worse than crashing a wedding by impersonating the bride and her bridesmaid?"

Thor's face pales a little. "How do you know of that?"

"There are myths and legends from when you were last on Midgard. They survived the centuries, though maybe somewhat changed by time. Are you saying that one is real though?"

"Do not tell them, brother," Thor pleads with Loki. "I beg of you."

Loki grins a wicked grin. "Oh, but I think I will. Is there a chance this story will make it back to the Lady Jane?"

Clint matches his grin. "That is a distinct possibility, but it depends. You got anymore dirt?"

"There are many tales I can regal you with." The elevator stops and Loki leads them down the hall towards the suite he shares with Thor. "Come, and I will tell you them."

"How about you guys clean yourselves up first," Ari suggests as she follows after him, "before Stark starts going door to door looking for the pranksters."

"But then stories," Sunstreaker says eagerly.

Thor groans, looking up towards the ceiling. "AllFather, help us."

* * *

In the darkness of the African plains, the Decepticons fester like boils, their anger infecting their circuits until it is the only thing they can think of.

They have failed to defeat the Autobots, yet again, and there are so few of them left. It's uncertain if any more of them are among the stars, still searching for this miserable globe where the rest of their brethren have gathered.

But they want revenge. Even if they offline trying. Barricade may not be the leader Megatron was, but the Decepticons are willing to follow him so long as he is willing to act with that goal in mind.

A disturbance in the air makes them look up from where they sit on the cold, hard ground. Barricade stands to scan the area, the six other Decepticons with him going on guard as well.

Something doesn't feel right. There's an energy building that isn't natural and is unlike anything their sensors have picked up before.

Something is coming.

Electricity spontaneously crackles in the air in front of them, like lightning even though there are no clouds for a storm. It bites and cracks, growing from a single spark to a large ball in only a matter of seconds, illuminating them in a blue glow.

They pull out their blasters, ready for whatever the Pit is about to throw at them next.

The electricity bursts like an exploding star, forcing them to shield their optics, and when the light diminishes there stands a being not from this planet.

Unless Earth has started creating purple humans almost the size of a Cybertronian.

The purple being smirks at them, his blocky features cocky, unperturbed that he is seconds from death.

"Who are you?" Barricade growls, half-tempted just to open fire now but something about this being sets him on edge. The way in which he arrived, the energy that still lingers in the air. There is a...wrongness that his processor can't explain.

Being too hasty could lead to the end of them all.

"I am Thanos," the being replies, voice deep like a rock slide. "And you are Cybertronians, are you not? I must say, I was surprised to find your kind here of all places."

"We have been at war—we, the Decepticons, against the Autobots. And our war has led us to this pathetic planet."

Thanos's smile takes on a mad glint. "A civil war with your own kind. That is something I would enjoy."

"And unless you wish to add your death to our war, I suggest you move along," Barricade snarls.

"That will not be happening today," Thanos says dismissively. "But I do wish to join your war by offering an alliance."

Barricade lowers his blaster slightly, intrigued. "And what do you have to offer us?"

"I have an army known as the Chitauri."

"We have heard of them. They were defeated by the humans before."

"Yes, they were, and I was unable to get what I want. However, if you and I work together, then perhaps we can both get what we want."

Barricade smiles, pointed teeth gleaming in the moonlight. This stranger may be wrong but he is powerful, that much Barricade can tell. And if that power is willing to work for them... "We want the earthling, Ari Lennox. She has something we have desired for a very long time."

"And I wish to have my scepter back. Both are locked in that Tower, well-guarded and kept just out of reach." Thanos steps forward, holding out a hand. "How about we change that?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter amuses me to no end, guys, you have no idea. I hope you liked it just as much. Have you ever seen that many googly eyes in one place? Cause it's fragging hilarious!
> 
> And then Clint and Loki in their glitter war!
> 
> *cough*
> 
> Right, back to seriousness. The end of the chapter. An alliance between the Decepticons and Thanos. As you can imagine, nothing good can come of that.
> 
> Next chapter will be up next Tuesday. And the battle will begin.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	13. It Starts with a Bang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I am back to continue on the fast track to finishing this fic. And, boy, is it going to be fast. This chapter starts the beginning of the final showdown. When writing the ending, I started this chapter and just kept going, writing everything I wanted until I finally finished without stopping to find proper places to break up for chapters. I ended up with, like, 14000 words by the end, I think. This is going to be a wild ride.
> 
> Are you ready?
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

When everyone is called to Stark's lab the next day after the prank, Ari thinks they've been found out and are about to walk to their doom. Maybe Jarvis finally gave in to his programming and ratted them out. Maybe Stark actually figured it out on his own.

She doesn't know, but Stark looks ticked when she and Sideswipe walk into the lab.

Everyone else is already here, besides Pepper who is still secreted away in the penthouse upstairs. Bruce and Jane are looking over one of the satellites lying on a workbench, totally oblivious and uncaring of the state of the lab. Steve looks a bit dumbfounded, staring at all the googly eyes, glitter, and the three painted robots puttering about in the back of the lab.

Thor is a bit apprehensive, though trying not to be. Loki, Clint, and Natasha are completely cool like they've got nothing to hide.

Will and Optimus—in holoform—are here, too, and they're trying not to laugh.

"So, would anyone care to explain?" Stark asks expectantly.

" _Sunstreaker is really lucky he's on patrol right now,"_  Sideswipe says along the bond, completely calm on the outside, but Ari can feel a little bit of worry in him.

" _Or really unlucky,"_  Ari counters, barely suppressing a smirk.  _"This is kind of hilarious."_

"Stark," Steve says on a sigh, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Did you really call us all here just to find out who pranked your lab?"

"Of course I did! I demand justice for this!"

"No, he really didn't," Darcy interrupts before he can continue, walking into the lab with a tablet held in the cradle of her arm. "Though I won't demand my own justice for the mess on two conditions: I don't have to clean this crap up and whoever did it invites me on the next pranking spree."

Stark squawks. "Don't encourage this! This is  _my_  Tower! I'm the only one allowed to do any pranking."

"Stark, please get to the point," Phil says, walking in behind Darcy.

Darcy whirls on him, Jane's head popping up at the sound of his voice as well. "I know you!" Jane yells, arms wrapping protectively around the satellite even though it's way too big. "You stole all my equipment before!"

"Where is my iPod?" Darcy demands, looking about ready to beat Phil with her tablet.

Phil rocks back on his heels, bemused. "Agent Barton notified me of your…situation. It is unfortunate that not all of your equipment was properly returned. You have my sincerest apologies."

"That doesn't put the iPod in my hand." Darcy rounds on Clint, hand on her hip. "You told me you'd find it, bird boy, so where is it? Don't tell me a secret government organization tasked with protecting the world isn't capable of finding one iPod."

"You've got my back, right, Phil?" Clint begs, taking a nervous step back. "Please?"

Phil's mouth ticks up in a smirk, reaching into his jacket pocket to pull out a silver device. "Always, Hawkeye."

Darcy beams, making grabby hands for her iPod. "Give me, give me!"

He hands her the device and she squeals in delight, examining the classic iPod carefully. "Is everything in order?" he asks, trying to hold in his amusement.

"Yep, everything looks alright. It's definitely mine and all my songs are there. I can't believe it still has power after all this time."

"I took the liberty of charging it for you, as a gesture of goodwill. We really didn't mean to keep it all these years. Somehow it ended up in a box of our equipment. I hope all can be forgiven?"

"Yeah, dude, water under the bridge," she says, waving him off distractedly as she scrolls through her playlists and walking away to her workbench.

Clint sags in utter relief. "Oh, thank you, Primus. And Phil. Thank you, thank you, Phil."

Phil's smirk grows. "Anytime, Clint."

Steve sighs heavily. "Can we please get back on track?"

"Right," Bruce says, him and Jane drawing their attention away from the satellite to join the rest of the group. "We've called you all here to let you know that the satellites are finished and to go over next steps."

"How are we getting them into orbit?" Will asks.

"We've made small rockets," Stark explains. "The satellites will be held inside. When the rocket reaches our needed elevation, the satellites with be ejected and power up automatically. Doc Foster will control them from here, initiating their flight path and starting up the scans."

"We've made three in all," Jane says proudly. "One will scan the equator, one the Northern Hemisphere, and the last the Southern Hemisphere. I would have preferred to have a couple more to better guarantee maximum coverage but we figured getting them done faster was more important."

"And how long will the scans take?" Optimus asks.

"Approximately six hours. Of course, that's if Thanos and the Chitauri are in the last possible location the satellites scan. More than likely, we'll find them within anywhere from thirty minutes to five hours."

"Which is why we need to prepare now," Stark adds. "When we find them, we need to leave as soon as possible."

"Right," Steve says, the man Ari has gotten to know over the past several days fading to the wayside as Captain America steps forward. "Then everyone needs to suit up now and keep your weapons close. One way or another, we're bringing the fight to Thanos."

They split up, the Scientists Three going to the roof with Phil and Darcy to launch the rockets while everyone else gets their gear ready. Ari suits up just like everyone else, getting into her N.E.S.T. uniform and making sure she has all of her weapons. Chitauri seem to go down just as easily as humans so she raids the stash of weapons the N.E.S.T. team brought, grabbing some extra magazines for her glock.

Once everyone is ready and the scientists report that the satellites are in position and starting their scans, they reconvene in the common room in order to plan.

Getting there will be iffy. It all depends on exactly where Thanos and his army are. If they're close, they can just drive there. If not, then they'll need to fly. The Starkjet is toast and there's not enough time for Stark to make another one, obviously, so Phil requisitions a quinjet from S.H.I.E.L.D. for them to use. Stark complains, saying it's not as fast as the Starkjet, but it'll have to do.

That doesn't help the Autobots, though. They won't be able to fit on the quinjet, let alone all of the N.E.S.T. soldiers. They'll have to take the carrier plane that they came in, parked at an airfield outside the city. It's slower than the Starkjet but that should be fine. Thanos shouldn't know they're coming so the Avengers can wait on the Autobots and N.E.S.T. to arrive before going in. Still, for the sake of expediency, the Autobots and N.E.S.T. head out to the plane now, waiting for Stark to send them coordinates for a rendezvous.

They'll need all the help they can get to defeat Thanos. According to Loki, he has some very powerful magic, the kind that has wiped out entire civilizations before. So going in without everyone being there would be reckless. Not even Stark is willing to risk it.

Which is why Loki is coming, too.

Stark doesn't like it, Steve either, but Ari tells them that he needs to come. Not only is she hoping that she'll be able to take off his shackles by the time the fighting starts—something she doesn't actually say out loud—but they'll need his expertise. If Thanos is cooking up something magical to fight against them, Loki will be able to identify and find a way to stop it.

This won't be easy, even with the element of surprise. Hope is becoming harder to come by, especially with both Loki and Thor looking so uncertain at their group of warriors.

But they have to try. They have to give it their all. Because if they fail, then all hope is lost for the rest of the universe.

They try to plan out some general strategies but, honestly, without knowing where they're going, not much can be done. They're all filled with the need to  _do_  something though, idle hands already looking for a target. Some of them go to find one in the shooting range. Others try to distract themselves, either in front of the T.V. or with patrol.

The Scientists Three plus Darcy go back to the labs, poking at the Chitauri machine again since they still have no idea what it does.

Ari arches her brow at Sideswipe, angling her head towards Loki sitting next to Thor on the couch in the common room. Sideswipe shrugs a shoulder and then nods.

"Hey, Loki," Ari calls from across the room, pushing the button for the elevator.

Loki's head lulls to the side so he can look at her, boredom settling heavily in his eyes. "What?"

"Come on. There's something I'd like you to take a look at."

Loki gets to his feet in one graceful motion, happily joining her and Sideswipe in the elevator with Thor following along behind.

"And what is it that I'm looking at?" Loki asks.

"It's a piece of Chitauri tech," Ari explains, the elevator dropping them off and they head towards Stark's lab. "The Scientists Three haven't had the time to figure out what it is yet, but I figured you might be able to speed things along since science and magic are kind of your things. You know a lot about alien tech, right?"

"But of course," Thor snickers. "Loki has passed many hours in the palace library reading all sorts of books and scrolls. I have no idea how he can sit still for so long."

Loki's stride falters for a second as his jaw tightens and Ari can sense the old tension. And the old hurts. Asgardians believe magic and science to be women subjects. However, Loki loves them, and if Ari has to guess, Thor has often teased him because of it.

This is where the animosity between Loki and Thor first took root. But Thor seems to be oblivious to the mine he just stepped on.

"There's nothing wrong with spending the day just reading," Sideswipe says, stopping just outside the lab. "So long as you have the right book."

"If you say so," Thor says, looking like he is  _this_  close to rolling his eyes.

"No, seriously. It can actually be a lot of fun. I mean, you like to tell stories about your battles and all that, right?"

"It is his favorite pastime at feasts," Loki drawls,  _actually_  rolling his eyes.

"Well, reading a book is just like listening to one of those stories, except that instead of someone just telling you the story you have to read the words for yourself."

Thor turns pensive, halting in his steps. "And does Midgard have many stories to regal you with?"

"Yeah, tons," Ari pips, excited to corrupt someone to the ways of the bookworm. "When this is all over remind me to find you a copy of  _Harry Potter_. His is one of the best stories I have ever read."

And maybe it will help change his mind about magic.

That's for later though. Right now they need to get down to business while they still can.

They enter the lab where all three scientists are elbow-deep in the Chitauri machine, Darcy sitting atop a nearby workbench handing out tools whenever someone calls for them.

"Is that safe?" Sideswipe asks hesitantly, afraid of stepping further into the room.

"Depends on exactly what that device is," Loki says, curiosity piqued as his eyes rove over the machine.

"Oh, don't worry, chaps, I disconnected the power cell. We're all perfectly safe."

Ari's blood runs cold as Wheeljack's holoform pops up from behind the machine, wrinkled face covered in a green substance she is hoping is just grease and white hair just as wild as it is in his bipedal form.

"Wheeljack, what are you doing here?" Ari asks, equal parts scolding and scared. How long have they all been working together? Have there been any explosions yet?

Are they close to an explosion now?

"I told you no, 'Jack. Remember? I told you not to work with them."

"But…but this machine is so fascinating!" he says, like a kid trying to convince his mom he really didn't draw on the walls. "And we've made so much progress!"

"Relax, Ari, I've got it covered," Darcy says with an unworried smile. "I've been watching them all real close and if anyone misbehaves, I've got my taser handy."

Loki's eyes shoot to Darcy, no longer so eager. "On second thought, perhaps they have this covered."

"Why is he even here?" Stark asks without looking up from whatever he's tinkering with. "Shouldn't he be in his room or something? Put him down for a nap until we're ready."

Loki opens his mouth to say something—probably something very harsh by the murder in his eyes—but Ari beats him to it. "Stark, chill. Loki is harmless. You'd realize that if you'd actually spend time with him, which is what I'm suggesting you do now."

Stark rounds on her, screwdriver gripped in his hand and a cross between horror and hatred on his face, making his eyes dark and his mouth snarl. " _Why_? I'm not about to spend time with a mass murderer."

"I get that all of you are geniuses in your own rights but so is Loki. And he's actually spent time with Thanos and the Chitauri. He might be able to recognize things when you would not."

"Oh, and now you want to let the psycho near an unknown machine? Yeah, that sounds like a terrific idea. You're just asking for him to blow us all up and escape."

"Escape is not my intention," Loki says, ire still running through his veins but he holds it back. "Nor has it ever been. If I wanted to escape I would have done so long ago. I have counted six opportunities for such since I've been here."

"Right, sure," Stark says, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "So why haven't you escaped, hmm? Why stick around at all? You tried to invade us. You tried to kill us. So it's not like you care."

Loki goes quiet for a moment, probably unsure what to say. There's so much that he  _could_  say. None of this arguing would even be necessary if he just told everyone the truth; that the things he's accused of doing weren't even his fault. But he doesn't. Instead, he endures the hatred spat at him in cruel words.

Ari catches Loki's eye, tilting her head towards Stark. Trying to encourage him to finally speak up. There's no reason for him not to, but he just shakes his head, sliding a smirk onto his face.

"What I do care about," Loki says, "is defeating Thanos. I was unsuccessful in delivering the Tesseract to him and taking over this realm. Now, Thanos wishes me dead, or much worse. This venture is my only chance to escape his wrath."

"So you're only interest is in yourself," Stark huffs. "Figures. Do you really not care about what happens to the rest of the universe at all? I mean, you're one of the idiots who live in it, you know."

"Loki," Ari says, almost pleading. She doesn't want him to have to go through this. He shouldn't  _have_  to. There's another way—a better way—but he refuses to admit the truth.

"No, Lady Ari," Loki says, with just enough bite in it to make her mouth automatically snap shut. "I will not waste my breath. Let us just get on with this so we can all go back to ignoring each other."

"It's still not happening," Stark insists. "I'm not letting you anywhere near this thing."

"But Tony," Bruce says slowly, shoulders raised towards his ears. "We kind of need the help. We've taken the machine apart and poked at it and we still don't know what it does, even with Wheeljack's help."

"I hate to admit it, but he's right," Jane says reluctantly, tossing a wrench onto the table next to Darcy. "We're stuck."

"Though, really, how bad would it be?" Darcy muses, taser casually held in her hand. "I mean, we've already seen that the standard charge can take him down. If he does anything funny, I'll just taze him."

"And I'll stay," Ari offers, patting a hand against the gun strapped to her thigh like she's willing to use it. Even though she doesn't want to at all. "Plus there's Thor. I'd ask Clint and Natasha, too, but honestly, they could use a break from guard duty. But between all of us, he isn't getting away with anything, right?"

Stark grits his teeth, walking a few steps away and shoving a hand through his already messy hair in frustration. When he turns back, he points a finger at Ari, looking her straight in the eye. "If anything happens, it's on you."

"I am the one responsible for Loki," Thor reminds him. "His actions are on me."

"Yeah, well, this is her stupid idea. Share the blame if it makes you feel any better."

Stark snatches up another tool, turning back to the machine without another word. Jane and Bruce share an uneasy look before joining him, digging back into the work.

Wheeljack just shrugs his shoulders and shoots Loki a smile that makes Ari uneasy. "Well, I say the more the merrier. Come on over and I'll show you what we've managed to figure out."

Loki nods, approaching the machine while sticking closer to Wheeljack's side. Ari isn't sure if it's his easy acceptance or the fact that Wheeljack is a fellow alien, but Loki seems more comfortable with him while shying away from the others. It makes her frown as she hops up on the table next to Darcy, Sideswipe pulling up a stool to sit near her with his head resting on her leg.

Her fingers automatically delve into his hair, sweeping through the strands absently as she speaks across the bond.  _"I hate this. He was making real progress yesterday, getting along with Clint and Nat. And now this."_

" _You can't just force them not to ostracize him,"_ Sideswipe replies gently.  _"It's a lot of very bad history."_

" _I know that, but that's not what I'm talking about. I mean how he just…takes it. He doesn't try to fight against the accusations or anything. It's like he's perpetuating them. He wants them to keep thinking he's the bad guy. If he's going to change he's got to stop this. He has to admit to the truth eventually."_

" _I'm sorry, sweetspark, but that's not happening, not until he decides to do it. Not until he's ready."_

She sighs, scratching against his scalp on the next pass. He practically purrs in her lap and she smiles, doing it again.  _"It's just…he's not doing anything because…I think he feels like he deserves it."_

" _He did a lot of bad."_

" _But it wasn't his fault."_

" _I don't think he sees it that why. Like Clint. Except unlike Clint, he's got no one to vouch for how good he is, only a history of bad."_

" _He's got Thor."_

" _Yeah, but Loki and Thor seem to have this whole sibling rivalry vibe going on. They see themselves as better than each other and that's going to cloud Thor's view of Loki. Not to mention, the bad history from when Thor was banished. All of that really was all on Loki."_

" _He has goodness in him though. No one without at least a little goodness in them is capable of walking around covered in glitter without a care in the world."_

" _I know. But no one else is going to see it until we get him to see it in himself. He just hasn't done it yet."_

" _Then how do we get him to?"_

" _I don't know,"_  he says, pressing a kiss to her knee.  _"That's really up to him."_

They lapse into silence, the only sounds coming from the group at the machine. The Scientists Three talk quietly amongst themselves, shooting out theories and discoveries, but Loki hardly talks at all. He listens, though, and observes. He takes in the expertise of the others like a student always eager to learn.

Thor tries to strike up several conversations with Jane but is either given a vague answer or outright ignored every time, the lure of new science enveloping all of Jane's attention. Thor sulks but gives up after a while, instead finding a stool on the other side of Darcy and talking with her—about Asgard, at Darcy's insistence.

Ari tries to pay attention, wanting to find out more about Asgard as well besides the things the AllSpark has shown her, but her mind is abuzz with energy and worry.

Something doesn't feel right to her. It makes her hands twitchy to activate her blades, draw her gun, to do  _something_ , but she has no answers, no direction.

Hopefully that will change soon but soon can't come fast enough.

"This is odd," Loki mutters, the first thing he's said in over an hour.

"What is it?" Wheeljack asks, the others glancing at him curiously but Wheeljack being the only one willing to actually address him.

"This power cell you identified, it is much stronger than what this device should actually need."

"How so?"

"It is like…the power of an entire city being used to power one home. The circuits should have overloaded as soon as the device was turned on, but it didn't."

"Meaning  _something_  must be using all that extra power," Jane says, catching on.

Stark purses his lips and keeps working, trying hard not to engage.

"Indeed," Loki says. "It is curious. But this entire machine is curious. I still cannot fathom why the Chitauri had it in the first place."

"What do you mean?" Bruce asks, hesitant but his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well, you see this parabola here?" Loki points to the satellite dish on top of the machine, bigger than Sideswipe's head. "It is used for deep-space communication."

"Yeah, that's what I figured when I first saw it," Stark says, no longer able to help himself.

Loki suppresses a smirk. "Supposedly, it is for communicating with Thanos and the rest of the army, but the Chitauri have no need for such a device. They are a hive mind, meaning any communication between the Chitauri themselves is instantaneous. As for Thanos, they have devices directly implanted into their brains to communicate with him. It's part of the hive mind he uses to control them."

"So what you're saying is, this machine is completely pointless to them?" Jane asks.

"Precisely."

"Why did they bring it then?" Bruce asks, brow furrowed as he stares at the machine like it's a puzzle piece that won't quite fit.

"I'm not sure," Loki mumbles, tilting his head in thought. "Unless…."

He squats down, hands plunging into the machine again to fiddle with something. Ari hops down from her perch, curious. He's prying at a large metal panel with his fingers, trying to open a small compartment inside the belly of the machine. "Do you know what's in there?" she asks.

"A communications relay uses a laser to receive and transmit vast amounts of data across solar systems. If this machine really is a communications relay, then this compartment should contain the parts that actually create the laser."

"What do you mean by 'should'?" Sideswipe asks, stepping close to Ari and putting a hand on her waist like he's ready to drag her away from danger.

"Well, hopefully I am wrong." His fingers slip against the metal, unable to find purchase, and he hisses in frustration. "Lady Ari, something to pry this open if you please?"

Ari turs back to Darcy, holding out her hands. "Screwdriver?"

"Got it." Darcy plucks it up and tosses it to her. Ari then hands it to Loki who jams the flathead into the seam of the metal, wiggling the screwdriver back and forth to loosen it. There's a pop and then the panel falls away, clanging against the tile floor.

Revealing a mass of wires connected to something that could definitely be a timer.

A bomb.

They barely have time to think the word before it goes off, an explosion of fire and noise that bursts through the room in a torrential wave. Sideswipe jumps in front of Ari just before it hits and they're flung through the air.

Ari's back hits something solid and she falls to the floor in a heap, head spinning.

There's fire. Heat. Smoke that clogs up her lungs and makes her cough. Water sprinkling against her skin and sirens blaring but all of it feels so far off.

Her body throbs with a deep ache from the force of the blast. She struggles to move against it, to push herself up onto her hands and knees and peer through the smoke. The AllSpark is quick to heal her, making it easier by the second, and the spinning in her head lessens.

"Guys?" she calls out, smoke making it hard to breathe. She was flung over the workbench Darcy was sitting on, it now standing between her and whatever remains of the machine.

She doesn't see anyone else. Sideswipe and Wheeljack she understands. Their holoforms probably shorted out from the blast, but she can still feel Sideswipe. He's panicking but fine, meaning Wheeljack probably is as well. But where are the others?

" _Sweetspark, are you okay?"_  Sideswipe asks.

" _Yeah, I'm fine,"_ Ari says, pushing herself to her feet. The sprinklers are spraying water everywhere, dousing the fire that seems to have consumed the entire center of the lab. The machine at the epicenter is only black, warped metal now. She still doesn't see any sign of the others through all the smoke but it's beginning to clear, vents in the ceiling working to suck out all the smoke. The lights are off though, only the soft glow of emergency lights brightening the room.  _"Get back up here. We need to find the others and get them help, now."_

Deep-throated grumbling makes her freeze in her tracks, furiously blinking smoke and water out of her eyes.

Next to the blown-out machine is a huge green figure covered in soot.

" _Sideswipe,"_ she says, trying not to panic herself but it's really hard not to right now. _"Bruce Hulked out."_

" _What?"_

" _Bruce, he turned into the Hulk."_

Bruce—Hulk—he stands up from where he was crouched on the floor, curled over with his back facing the machine. Even though he must have been hit the worst, he looks completely fine. Maybe a little dirty but there's not even a scratch on him.

Hulk is over nine feet tall, completely green except for his black hair flopping in his face because of the sprinklers, and he's heavily muscled. He's basically what the bipedal form of a Cybertronian would look like as a human. Except for the tattered shirt that's been reduced to strings and the shorts stretched out to the max.

And when he turns to face her he looks angry. Really angry.

" _You need to get out of there, Ari,"_ Sideswipe says desperately.  _"Now!"_

" _I think it may be a bit late for that. He's looking right at me and he doesn't look happy."_

" _Then hide. Stay out of his reach. Do whatever you have to, just don't let him hit you. One swat with his hand could break every bone in your body. I'm not sure even the AllSpark can bring you back from that."_

The sprinklers turn off as the last of the fire dies, the vents stopping too as the smoke completely clears. She would have liked to have used the smoke as cover though. Ari swallows heavily, taking a hesitant step back. The Hulk steps forward in response, bare feet crunching over broken glass without even flinching. She holds her hands up, palms out, placating.

Like that's actually going to do anything.

"Hi, Bruce," she says softly, trying to go for a pleasant tone but he just growls at her like he's offended. At least the siren has finally stopped. Yelling would not be a good idea right now. "Uh, Hulk. You like to be called Hulk, right?"

He snorts, giving a firm nod of his head, but she doesn't count it as real progress, not with the way his hands keep clenching sporadically.

She takes a deep breath. "Right. Hulk. It's, uh, nice to meet you. Do you remember me at all? I'm Ari."

"Lady Ari," Thor says somewhere behind her, glass tinkling as he picks himself up off the floor. "I advise against this. Let me handle him."

"You told me about the last time you and Hulk faced off against each other you destroyed part of the helicarrier. Just… let me try." She licks her lips nervously, trying again. "I'm Ari, Hulk. Ari. You remember?"

"Ar…ri," he says, voice so much deeper than Bruce's. He sounds like he's unused to speaking, but, then again, it's not like many people have actually tried talking to him.

Mostly, there's just yelling and guns.

She takes a tentative step forward, staring into his big brown eyes. Eyes she recognizes. They're just like Bruce's so he must still be in there somewhere. "That's right. Ari. Do you remember me?"

He looks uncertain at first, like he'd just as soon punch her as trust her. Especially when he glances at Thor over her shoulder. But Bruce has said himself that he remembers some of what the Hulk goes through. The reverse has to be true, then, that Hulk retains some of Bruce's memories. He never would have worked with the rest of the Avengers during the Battle of New York if he didn't.

He tilts his head and she swears his face softens in recognition. "Bruce and Ari friends."

She sighs in relief, lowering her hands. "That's right, Hulk. We're friends." She's safe now…she thinks. At least, so long as she doesn't do anything to upset him. "Now, do you know what happened to the others? Can you help me look for them?"

He steps aside and points to the ground. She walks towards him, still cautious, and rounds the workbench to see what it is.

Jane and Darcy lie on the ground, unconscious. Ari and Thor rush to them, Thor cradling Jane's small body to his chest while she checks their pulses. She sags in relief. "They're okay. They're both okay."

This is why Hulk was curled over. He was shielding them from the blast.

"Thank you, my friend," Thor says, the softest she's ever heard him. "You saved their lives."

Hulk pounds on his chest with his fist, roaring victoriously.

Ari laughs. "Yeah, you did good. But we need Bruce back now, okay? Darcy and Jane are hurt and he's a doctor. He can help them."

Hulks nose wrinkles like he's smelling something foul but he nods anyway. But before he does anything he asks, "Hulk and Ari friends?"

She smiles softly. "Yeah, Hulk. You and I are friends."

He grins, all white teeth in the middle of a green face and she can't help but laugh, reminded of a little kid even though there's nothing little about him. He then gives a shudder, a pained look crossing his face. Ari steps forward to help him but he staggers away, the greenness fading as his body begins to shrink.

He's just transforming back into Bruce. Trusting Bruce and Thor to take care of the ladies, she looks around, hoping to spot Stark and Loki.

Groaning draws her attention and she rounds to the other side of the machine. Stark lies on the ground, just rousing, with Loki passed out on top of him.

Loki looks bad. Really bad. He's covered in soot and cuts and bruises that are already starting to purple.

"Thor!" Ari yells, sliding onto her knees and carefully rolling Loki onto his back off of Stark. "Stark. Stark! Can you hear me? You alright?"

Stark groans again, getting his hands underneath him to push himself to sitting. Thor rushes over, helping him and looking at Loki worriedly. Stark doesn't look very good either, with a deep gash on his forehead that's bleeding down his face. "I'm seeing double but other than that, yeah, I'm fine."

If he can be so flippant then yeah, he is fine. Ari turns her attention to Loki, checking his pulse and finding it easily. Good. He's alive. But this still doesn't look good. "We need to get him to a doctor."

"I am surprised he survived the blast," Thor says solemnly. "Since he is but a mortal now."

"Jane and Darcy need a doctor, too!" Bruce calls from across the room. He's kneeling next to the unconscious women, looking them over and holding his shorts up with his hands. "I know some but I'm not exactly a medical doctor."

"He saved me," Stark says quietly, looking down at Loki like he's in shock. "He…he jumped in the way. Why did he do that?"

"Loki cares a lot more than you think," Ari says, feeling around Loki's limbs and chest for broken bones. She feels two broken ribs, maybe three. He's lucky that's all the damage he did.

He risked his life. For Stark. For someone who hates him.

Her hands slip down to his handcuffs, debating.

" _Ari,"_ Sideswipe says, voice urgent.  _"I can't get to you. We've got major problems."_

" _Primus, what is it this time?"_

" _Chitauri have stormed the building. I don't know what that machine was but it took out the power to the entire building when it blew. They're blasting through security like it's nothing."_

She feels pain, an intense fire in her arm that isn't coming from her.  _"Sideswipe, what's wrong? What happened?"_

" _Decepticons,"_ he grits out, pain in his voice even across the bond.  _"There are Decepticons here, too. They seem to be working with the Chitauri."_

"Fraggit," Ari says aloud, looking to Stark. "You need to suit up, right now. We've got company."

"On it." He springs to his feet, a little unsteady but gaining balance as he jogs towards the back of the lab. He presses his palm to the wall and a panel opens up, revealing an Iron Man suit.

"Thor, I want you and Bruce to take Jane and Darcy up to the penthouse with Pepper. Keep them safe."

"You have my word," Thor says, returning to Bruce's side and picking up Jane. But he looks back at Loki in concern. "What about my brother?"

Ari turns back to Loki, taking his handcuffs in her hands. "I think it's about time we take these off."

"Then he will need these." Thor takes out two knives from his belt and hands them to her. "They are Loki's, his preferred weapons when he doesn't use magic."

"Thanks," she says as she takes them.

She just hopes getting his powers back heals Loki like it did with Thor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the mysterious machine finally reveals it's purpose: a distraction to enable infiltration. Now we've got all our enemies coming from all sides. So much for their plan of the element of surprise. Thanos beat them to it.
> 
> Get used to the cliffhangers. There are several coming.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	14. The Mad Titan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't have a whole lot of time so I'm just gonna put this here.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Ari looks over the handcuffs, unsure how they work exactly and feeling time dwindling away. They have to come off somehow, but there's no lock, no button of any kind. Just a bunch of runes that make up the spell.

"You're not seriously going to take those off, are you?" Stark asks, walking up in the Iron Man suit with the mask retracted.

"Loki said the handcuffs will only come off for someone who believes him to be changed," Ari says without looking up. "He saved your life, Stark, a man who  _supposedly_  would like to kill you himself. Don't you think that means he's changed?"

"Yeah, it's a little weird and I'm grateful and all, but I'm not sure that makes him a real boy now."

"Loki isn't who you think he is," is all Ari says, peering more closely at the runes. They seem to shift in front of her eyes, fluid, moving. She blinks hard, wondering if there's still smoke in her eyes or maybe she hit her head harder than she thought she did. "Thor, how do I take these off?"

"The words on the cuffs must be spoken by someone who truly believes Loki to be changed," Thor says, pausing in the doorway with Jane in his arms. Bruce is right behind him, carrying Darcy and his shorts held up with a length of string as a makeshift belt. "I can translate for you if you like."

The runes continue to dance in front of Ari's eyes, and that's when she notices one of the doors in her mind jiggling ever so slightly. The runes spin and blur into something indecipherable only to solidify again a few moments later. Solidifying into something she can actually read.

Holy, Primus, she can read it. This is not how she usually learns new languages.

She swallows heavily, pushing herself to focus and worry about the implications later. "You guys just get going. Get them safe before the Chitauri and Decepticons make it up this far. I've got this."

Thor and Bruce leave, Stark stepping closer to her with a suspicious look on his face. "Chitauri and Decepticons. What is going on? How do you even know they're here?"

"Ear comm," she replies bluntly, trying to concentrate on reading the runes.

"Yeah, I don't think so. I don't see one on you."

"It's something Wheeljack invented. Pretty much invisible to the naked eye."

"Nice try." Great, he sounds really ticked now. "Just save us some time and fess up. How did you know? This got something to do with that big secret of yours?"

"Yeah, Stark, let's save some time and just not do this right now. We're kind of under attack here." She ignores his retort, licking her lips and speaking the words of the runes.  _"I have witnessed your change and hereby grant you the chance to prove that change."_

The handcuffs disintegrate in her hands, becoming even finer than dust as it slips through her fingers. Loki begins to glow with an intense blue-green light and she stands, backing out of the way of whatever is happening.

The light fades and Loki takes in a big gasp of air, eyes flying open. He sits up with a jolt like he's been electrified, eyes darting around everywhere until they settle at his hands. He looks down at them in wonder, glimmering that blue-green light again for just a second.

"Loki?" Ari asks, approaching him hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

He jerks his head up to look at her, like he's realizing there are other people in the room for the first time. "Yes. Yes, I am quite alright. You…You freed me. My powers have returned. You have my deepest gratitude."

"I don't want your gratitude, Loki. The runes say you have a chance to prove your change. That's all I want." She holds out her hand to him. "Prove to the world how good you truly are."

Words have always been empty to her. They're no guarantee of anything and can be easily broken. But actions—those are the true proof, the true test of what lies in someone's heart.

Loki grasps her hand and allows her to help him to his feet. "Then I shall spend the rest of my life proving that your faith in me is right."

"I can't say I'm exactly happy for you but I don't care about that right now." Stark points an armored finger at Ari. "Why were you speaking elvish?"

Ari's brow furrows. "What, you mean when I spoke the runes? Was I…not speaking English?"

Frag, she thought she was speaking English. How is she going to explain this?

"Not even remotely."

"You could actually speak the runes?" Loki asks, surprised. "Without help?"

Ari scratches the back of her head self-consciously. "Um, yeah?"

"Spill the beans, squirt," Stark demands. "How-?"

A deep rumble shakes through the building, bringing them back to the emergency at hand.

"Look, we can discuss this later," Ari says, handing Loki the knives from Thor. "We've got bigger things to worry about right now."

"Fine," Stark growls, heading towards the door. "Let's go kick some alien aft."

Ari tries not to laugh as she and Loki follow him to the stairs, activating her blades as she goes. "Just how much time did you spend with Wheeljack?"

"Long enough, apparently, now move your afts."

She does laugh this time and they burst into the stairwell, taking the stairs two at a time.

They catch up with the Chitauri just two floors down.

The Chitauri made it a lot farther than she thought they would. And there are dozens more than what there were at Stark Industries.

They launch themselves at the aliens and Ari loses track of Loki and Stark almost immediately. She focuses on what's in front of her, on taking out the next Chitauri and dodging their blaster fire.

Something suddenly falls on her head and she flails, trying to get it off. It crawls around on her, moving to her back. She reaches back, grabbing metal, and yanks it off.

A Decepticon falls on the landing in front of her, small and spider-like, reminding her of Scalpel. Clanking echoes off the concrete walls as even more small Decepticons come crawling towards them from below.

Ari pulls her gun and starts firing at them, trying to concentrate on the fight, but this whole thing is strange to her.

Sideswipe is right. The Decepticons and Chitauri seem to be working together. They're not fighting each other at all, they just keep trying to push further up into the building. But what would have them cooperating like this?

"The scepter," Ari realizes, putting a bullet between another Decepticon's optics. "They must be working together to get the scepter."

"But why?" Stark asks as he knocks a Chitauri over the railing to fall down the building. "I don't exactly see them sharing."

"It is very unlikely Thanos will let them use the scepter," Loki agrees, stabbing another Chitauri. "They must simply be a means to an end."

Ari looks back up the stairs, worried. "The Decepticons are clever. They probably came in from the roof as well."

Stark yanks a Decepticon off of his arm, flinging it so hard against the wall that it shatters. "Then fall back to the lab. Make sure the scepter stays safe."

"What about you guys?"

"We have this," Loki says confidently. "Right, Stark?"

"Sure, why not?" Stark answers flippantly, his face hidden by the mask so she can't tell if he's really alright being left along with Loki. But they don't have much choice. They have to make sure the scepter stays safe.

Ari nods and heads back upstairs. She makes it back to the lab floor without incident, Stark and Loki keeping them off of her. She bursts back into the hallway and slows down, taking silent steps as she listens intently.

There's a tap, tap, tapping, like metal falling on tile, and she picks up her pace.

There are three smaller Decepticons in Stark's lab, along with three Chitauri. They're at the back wall where the safe with the scepter is, the safe hidden like the safe room at Stark Industries but it looks like they had no problems finding it again. One of the Decepticons is connected to the control panel on the wall and will probably have it open in just a few more seconds.

Wasting no time, Ari enters the room and fires.

The first two Chitauri go down before they even know what's going on, the third ducking behind a workbench just in time to avoid the next bullet. The Decepticons scramble, all except for the one still trying to open the safe. She shoots him next, the Decepticon offlining just as the safe door opens with a  _whoosh_ , the wall sliding away.

All eyes turn to it, the safe about as big as a closet with the scepter resting inside on a shelf.

Ari moves to make a run for it but she doesn't make it three steps before there's an intense rumbling in the floor, enough to knock her off her feet. She pushes herself onto her elbows, wondering what's going on, and as soon as the thought crosses her mind the wall to her left implodes with a  _boom_.

Debris flies everywhere and Ari covers her head with her arms, staying lying on the floor until everything falls silent again. She rises to her knees carefully, coughing in the dust filling the room. It looks like a bomb went off in here, pieces of wall and what she's pretty sure is the fridge scattered everywhere.

What in the world happened?

Pressing herself against the side of a workbench, she slowly peeks over the top.

The entire kitchen is gone, caved in from where Barricade punched his fist through the wall. He's hanging onto the side of the building, using his hand to enlarge the hole he made so that he can crawl inside. Sunlight spills into the room, illuminating the space better than the emergency lights.

Hanging onto Barricade are six more Chitauri, letting go of his armor to land on the floor once they're through the hole. But they're not the only ones.

Thanos jumps down from Barricade's back, almost having to duck to fit in the room despite the high ceilings. He lumbers over to the safe, taking the scepter and holding it up with a smile that could almost be called child-like if it wasn't for the sadistic glint in his dark eyes.

Ari ducks back down, trying to figure out what to do.

" _Sideswipe, where are you?"_  she asks along the bond.

" _I'm still stuck in the hanger,"_ he replies, the bond filled with frustration.  _"These little Decepticons just keep coming."_

" _Well, I've got Barricade, a bunch of Chitauri, and fragging Thanos up at the labs. Thanos is_ here. _"_

" _Slaggit. That's too many to face on your own. Wait for backup, Ari. The others are back from the plane and will be with you in a few minutes. Do not face Thanos on your own."_

" _I may not have a choice."_ Thanos slams the scepter against the wall again and again until the blue casing at the base of the spear blade shatters. He tosses the scepter aside and kneels down, an orange gem about the size of a ping pong ball laying amongst the blue shards of glass.  _"I can't let them get away with the stone, Sides. I have to try."_

" _Ari, don't."_

But she ignores him, taking in a deep breath and standing with her gun raised, ready to go down fighting if she has to, if that's what it takes to stop Thanos.

"And what do you think you are doing, little girl?" Thanos says without even looking at her, his voice guttural like a weathered bear that's survived in the woods for decades.

"I'm going to stop you," she says, willing her own voice not to shake as she slowly walks towards him. The Chitauri stare at her without moving but Barricade moves to grab her.

"Don't bother," Thanos chuckles, picking up a large piece of broken glass and using it to scoop up the Mind Stone. "She is harmless."

"In my experience, that has never been the case," Barricade growls. "This insect has caused us many problems, refusing to be squished."

"Pathetic," Thanos snorts, standing while carefully balancing the stone.

Barricade rounds on him with a growl, arm transforming into a blaster. "How  _dare_  you. I am leader of the Decepticons. I can squish you right now like these other fleshy insects."

"Oh, stop your blathering." Thanos holds out his other arm, encased in a golden gauntlet that goes up to his elbow. There are empty craters on top of it, six of them, each the perfect size for housing a gemstone. "You claim to be one of the oldest species in the universe and yet you still act like a child."

Barricade's blaster whines like it's about to fire but Ari beats him to it, shooting Thanos in the head before he can drop the Mind Stone into the gauntlet.

Except her bullet never hits him. It stops mid-air three feet from his face like someone hit pause on a movie.

Thanos looks up at her, unamused. "So unwise."

The bullet drops to the ground and Ari's gun goes flying through the air, some unknown force snatching it away from her.

Magic. Not so cool now.

That same force snatches at her, lifting her in the air and spreading her arms and legs wide like she's about to be drawn and quartered. She struggles against the magic holding her but it is as ungiving as steel shackles binding her ankles and wrists.

So she is helpless as she watches Thanos drop the Mind Stone into the gauntlet, blazing orange as it sets into place.

Thanos sighs in relief, like a thorn has just been pulled from his foot after digging into his skin for the longest time. "How I have missed that feeling. Such  _power_. It's more pleasurable than the sweetest wine."

"And I will be taking it from you," Barricade snarls, firing his blaster, but Thanos just casually raises the hand with the gauntlet, palm out.

The blaster fire explodes against Thanos's hand, dissipating like a puff of smoke while leaving him completely unharmed.

"You will not be taking anything," Thanos tells him, With a twist of his wrist, a pulse of orange energy shoots out to hit Barricade in the chassis. " _I_  will be taking  _you_."

Barricade lets out a choked-off cry as the energy seeps into his spark chamber, crawling up his neck and turning his optics a strange shade of blue. It's not Autobot blue but darker, sending a chill down her spine as his entire demeaner changes. He puts his blaster away and sits on the floor with a straight back, like a lap dog.

"Fascinating," Thanos says with a pleased grin. "I was unsure the Mind Stone would affect his kind. They look so much like just simple pieces of technology, but they truly do have souls."

"Barricade has more of a soul than you do," Ari retorts, seeing no other choice than to try to buy some time until the others get here. She can feel Sideswipe getting closer but not close enough. The others will be further behind than him, depending on how many Decepticons and Chitauri are left in the building. "No one with even an ounce of soul would plan on burning a thousand worlds. It's pointless destruction."

She expects him to be surprised that she knows his endgame. Instead, his grin turns sharp, predatory, like a panther with cornered prey. "Did your precious AllSpark tell you that?"

Ari's blood runs cold. "H-How do you know about the AllSpark?"

How could he possibly know? Most people outside of the Cybertronian race don't even know the AllSpark ever existed. So how does he know that it even shows her things?

"I have been watching you for a long time," Thanos chuckles, walking towards her. As he does, she lowers closer to the ground so that when he stands right in front of her they are perfectly face to face. "With my resources and magic, it was not hard to figure out. Especially with those symbols scorched into your arm."

Ari's hands twitch as he reaches out for her, pulling her left sleeve down to reveal her AllSpark Marks. She wants to push him away, to punch him in the face, but she can only move her head and unfortunately he's not close enough for a head-butt.

"I have only ever heard rumors of the AllSpark before. Whispers from ancient beings even older than myself. This power is stronger than any other ever to have existed, including the Infinity Stones. And it is wasted on you."

"I didn't choose to become the AllSpark's vessel," she answers honestly. He already knows the truth so might as well go all the way. "It chose me."

His head tilts in genuine curiosity. "And why is that?"

"It saw me as worthy. Why? I don't know. But your opinion really doesn't matter."

"Oh, but it really does." He grins, his white teeth making an odd contrast with his purple skin. "You humans are small, fragile, weak. Breakable. I am going to bend you to my will and then you are going to use the AllSpark to help me find the rest of the Infinity Stones."

Ari shakes her head frantically, trying to break away from the magic again, but still it won't let her go. She can't let him do this. She can't. The Mind Stone will turn her and when it does, he will have all the knowledge of the AllSpark at his side. He'll be completely unbeatable.

What will this do to Sideswipe? Will it affect him because of the bond? Even if it doesn't, will Thanos force her to hurt him?

"Why?" she asks desperately. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because," his eyes turn almost soft, a gentleness to them she didn't think him capable of, "what better gift for my Mistress Death?"

What?

He almost talks about death as a…person. And it doesn't sound like just personification either.

She continues to struggle as Thanos grips her neck, the gauntlet feeling hot against her skin. It glows orange again, the magic of the Mind Stone seeping into her like fireworks exploding in her veins.

Her mouth opens as a scream tears from her lungs. She screams until her voice cracks and no sound comes out at all.

She doesn't pay attention to her screams, though. She hardly hears them. She doesn't even really feel the pain. What she does feel is the war raging inside her head.

There's another presence inside her mind, similar to what Sideswipe feels like but it's not him. This is something dark and cold and malevolent, like the ocean during a storm. The waves of its power crash over her, trying to drown her.

It wants to push her mind, her consciousness, her very being into the deepest, darkest reaches of its depths, swallowing her whole until there's nothing of her left.

But she fights. She fights against it, struggling to stay afloat. She can feel something buoy her up, keeping her just above the surface. At first, she thinks it's Sideswipe, but this isn't his warm, familiar presence. She can't feel him at all right now. This is something else, something more powerful than this storm trying to take her over.

But it's not malevolent. It is something kind and almost…familiar.

The AllSpark.

The AllSpark is protecting her.

Thanos growls as the Mind Stone fails to take her over, flinging her aside in his frustration. She tumbles through the air, feeling weightless and bracing for the landing. Only, it doesn't come.

Forcing her eyes open, she realizes Thanos tossed her right outside the hole Barricade made in the side of the building. There is no floor beneath her, only the ground so very far away.

She'd scream if she had the energy left. But she does close her eyes.

Something hard and metal slams against her, forcing the air out of her lungs and stopping her fall. Her eyes fly open, vision filled with the red and gold of the Iron Man suit, the glowing arc reactor that acts as its power source buzzing in her ear.

"Glad to see you're still with us, squirt," Stark says through the suit's speakers. "You are still you, right?"

"Yeah, I'm still me," she replies, voice hoarse and scratchy. "And I thought I said to stop calling me short? You asking for trouble?"

"Pepper would say I'm always looking for trouble. Why are you surprised?"

They land on the road in front of the Tower, people peeking out of buildings a couple blocks down on either side but the street is otherwise deserted. Seeing Barricade crawling up the side of the building probably scared them all away, especially after the debris started falling when he made the hole.

Police sirens wine in the distance, coming to the rescue even though there's nothing they can really do. Hopefully they'll at least keep innocent people back away from whatever fight is about to go down.

Though that may not be enough, not if they fail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Thanos has known about the AllSpark all along. But his plans have been foiled. The AllSpark is stronger than the Mind Stone and kept Ari's mind safe. So what will Thanos do now?
> 
> You'll have to wait for next Tuesday to find out.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	15. Running the Gauntlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here comes the next part of the battle. And things get a bit hairy.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

"Are you guys okay?" Steve asks, jogging out of the Tower with the rest of the Avengers plus Loki not far behind him.

"Peachy," Stark says, placing Ari on her feet. She wobbles a little, knees threatening to give out, and Clint rushes to her side to wrap an arm around her in support. "Where are the ladies?"

"They're fine," Bruce reassures. "Jane and Darcy have mild concussions. Pepper's looking after them in the safe room in the penthouse."

Natasha looks up at the building. "Are we sure that's safe right now?"

"Should be," Ari rasps, coughing to clear her throat. "The party's about to come out here."

"And what happened to you, kiddo?" Clint asks, wrapping his arm more tightly around her to take more of her weight. "Looks like you started the party without us."

"That's because I had to catch her midair," Stark tilts his head at Loki. "Seriously, I have to ask. Is there something with you god-types throwing people out of buildings?"

"Thanos tossed Lady Ari out of the building?" Thor asks, surprised. "Why?"

Ari grimaces, rubbing at her chest like she can still feel the invasion of magic. "He tried to use the Mind Stone on me. It didn't work and I guess that made him a tad upset."

Loki's brow shoots to his hairline. "The Mind Stone had no effect on you? How is that possible?"

Ari takes a deep breath. The cat's out of the bag already anyway. The bad guy already knows; might as well tell the rest of the good guys.

Her eyes slide over to Loki in thought. Yeah. All of the good guys. She's pretty sure Loki is included in that now.

"I'm the AllSpark," she says bluntly.

Stark's faceplate pops up and his jaw almost drops off his face. "Uh, you're the AllSpark? Want to explain that a little?"

"The AllSpark is some Cybertronian artifact, right?" Steve asks, sounding like he's reading off of a report. "It's what led to the Battle of Mission City and it's supposedly what created their race."

"The AllSpark has done a lot more than create just one race," Loki says, sharing a wide-eyed look with Thor. "If the scrolls I've read in the past are to be believed, the AllSpark is responsible for the creation of the entire universe."

"That's impossible," Bruce snorts.

"Doesn't matter what you believe," Ari says, staring up at the Tower. She can feel Sideswipe still running around inside and she gives him a slight tug, telling him to come outside. "The AllSpark is a mass of power and knowledge. When its original vessel was destroyed, all of that power and knowledge was transferred to me. Somehow, Thanos found out about it, and now he wants to use me to find the rest of the Infinity Stones."

Stark's mouth twists in disapproval. "And you didn't think to mention this sooner?"

"I had absolutely no reason to believe Thanos knew I was the AllSpark," Ari retorts, feeling Sideswipe's growing frustration but he's coming closer. "So I kept quiet. I have a history with people I don't know wanting to experiment on me because of what I am. It's not a secret I like to give out to just anyone if there's no reason to."

Stark looks like he's not going to drop it but Natasha cuts him off. "It doesn't matter. Not anymore. Thanos's plan to use the Mind Stone on her is foiled. So, Loki, what's he likely to do next?"

All eyes turn to Loki and he straightens, lifting his chin to appear strong, confident. But Ari can see a bit of trepidation in the slight downturn of his mouth. He has gone from an enemy to an ally. None of them are even questioning why he's not still in chains right now. They need his help, and he is willing to give it. This is a role he has not played in a long time.

But maybe it isn't a role. Maybe now, finally, this is who he really is.

"Thanos is likely to try brute force," Loki says, staring up at the Tower where Ari was tossed out of. "He will take Ari and force her to his will a different way. The  _hard_  way. Most likely, he will take her to his realm at the edge of the universe. If he does, then there will be no finding them until it is too late."

A crash from above makes them all look up, more debris falling from the sky as a new hole is made in the side of the Tower. They scramble out of the way, watching as Sideswipe jumps out of that hole and skids down the side of the building. The asphalt buckles under him when he lands on the ground but he pays it no mind, skating towards them.

Ari steps away from Clint but he hesitates on letting her go yet. "You sure, kid?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she insists, feeling a lot better now and able to make the short walk to Sideswipe before he picks her up in his arms, holding her close.

"How is she suddenly fine?" Stark gripes. "She could barely stand by herself a few minutes ago."

"Accelerated healing," Ari calls down, wrapping her arms around Sideswipe's neck. "Being the AllSpark has its perks."

" _You alright, sweetspark?"_  Sideswipe asks along the bond, coiling around her inside her head like a lion protecting his cubs.  _"I…There was a moment when I couldn't feel you. I thought…."_

" _Thanos tried to use the Mind Stone on me, but the AllSpark protected me or something. I guess it's too powerful to just be taken over like that. I'm alright. I promise."_

His hand cups the back of her head, holding her closer.  _"You scared the slag out of me."_

" _Yeah. Me, too."_

Honking makes her look over his shoulder. Optimus is charging down the street in his alt mode, leading a caravan of Autobots and N.E.S.T. soldiers. Good. They're back.

They're going to need all the help they can get.

Two more thumps in the asphalt make all of them tense, one much louder than the other. Barricade and Thanos face them, Barricade with a blank expression and Thanos with barely controlled rage.

"I will have my Stones!" he declares, fists clenched at his sides as he slowly walks closer. Barricade remains kneeled behind him, like a servant ordered to stay still.

"I'm not giving you anything," Ari says. Sideswipe sets her down at his feet and together they extend their blades.

"You'll have to go through all of us first," Sideswipe adds, the rest of the Autobots transforming and everyone else aiming their weapons at Thanos.

Thanos grins. "I would be delighted."

He raises his arms and sends a powerful force of energy towards them, the asphalt rippling in waves as it comes closer. It hits them before any of them can so much as take a step to get away, sending all of them flying through the air, including the Autobots. They crash into the buildings behind them across the street from the Tower. Concrete crumbles, glass shatters, and there's an echo of groans.

They pick themselves back up again, but none of them are feeling very hopeful about these odds. That was probably only a fraction of what Thanos is actually capable of. He's just toying with them.

"Loki, how do we stop him?" Steve asks, a desperate edge to the usually calm Captain.

"He is a proficient user in the art of magic," Loki says. "But the Infinity Stone is granting him even more power. It is imperative we get the gauntlet away from him."

"Any ideas on how we do that?" Will asks, swiping glass out of his hair.

A cacophony of revs fill the air, Decepticons in their alt modes racing towards them down either side of the street. They transform, at least a dozen of them, hunger gleaming in their red optics.

Ari had no idea there were still so many out there.

"Decepticons," Barricade growls, the first time he's spoken since the Mind Stone took him over. He sounds completely like himself and yet he's…not. "Attack! Retrieve the AllSpark."

The Decepticons certainly don't see a difference, because they follow his orders, happily charging towards them.

Something green flies through the air towards the closest Decepticon, landing on a 'Con's head. Hulk grins, smashing his fist into the side of the Decepticon's head and making a good-sized dent.

He lets out a satisfied roar.

They should not have made Bruce mad. But getting thrown into a building would do that to anyone.

They all move at once, charging forward like they're the front line in some medieval battle. Except there is no second or third line. There is no one else after them. Maybe Asgard will take up the call of battle if Thor and Loki are killed, but by then it'll be too late. The rest of the universe will fall.

" _Get to Thanos,"_  Sideswipe says through the bond.  _"We'll cover you."_

Tucking her head down, Ari dashes into the melee, dodging the battle around her. There's the sound of clanging metal, blaster fire, the whine of Stark's repulsors. Hulk bellows, explosions bloom overhead, but she keeps her path straight.

Straight towards Thanos. Who stays crouched on a massive pile of rubble, watching over it all with glee.

Bumblebee stumbles backwards in her path and she lunges to the side, rolling with the momentum back to her feet. She keeps going, breaths echoing in her head and heart pounding in her chest.

A Decepticon stands right in front of her, firing at Natasha and pinning her down behind an abandoned car. Ari runs through his spread legs, blades out to catch at the wires and tubes at each ankle.

The Decepticon roars in pain behind her but she keeps going, no time to stop.

When she's halfway there, there's a strange fizzle in the air, making the hairs on the backs of her arms stand on end. Then with a  _pop_  dozens of Chitauri blink into the air, right between Ari and Thanos.

She grits her teeth, glaring at Thanos. He smirks at her.

Striking first, Ari cuts through the Chitauri in front of her, her movements becoming almost a dance as she stabs and slices. A part of her thinks Natasha would be proud but the thought is fleeting, her only focus the next strike, the next dodge.

She ducks under an arm, stabbing the alien in the stomach, and then her shoulder is on fire. She cries out, falling to the ground and scraping her hands on the asphalt as she catches herself.

Touching her shoulder, her fingers come back covered in blood.

Before she can get up again, another Chitauri comes up—probably the one who shot her—aiming his gun at her head. She kicks out at his legs, dropping him to the ground before he gets another chance.

Scrabbling to her knees, she stabs him in the throat.

Her breaths come out in labored puffs as she places her hands on the ground, trying to push herself to her feet. She's tired, so tired, the fighting wearing her down. But she has to keep going. She can't stop now.

Three more Chitauri advance on her and she reaches for her gun. Her empty holster. She swears under her breath, remembering she lost her gun up in the lab. But then a metal blur zings past, knocking into all three of the aliens and sending them to the ground.

Steve races up to her, catching his shield out of the air and attaching it to the back of his arm before helping her to her feet. "You alright?" he asks.

"Oh, yeah, never better," she quips, wiping her arm across her forehead. It comes back wet with sweat and some kind of green substance she's pretty sure is Chitauri blood but she's not going to think about that right now. Her shoulder is on fire but the heat is quickly dying as the wound heals. "I need to get to Thanos."

"Isn't that the last thing you should be doing?"

"We have to get the gauntlet away from him. I don't care if I'm the one to actually do it but I've got to try. Someone needs to punch through. And I've always been very good at running through battles."

A Chitauri aims his gun at them behind Steve. Ari pulls a gun from Steve's belt and fires, dropping the Chitauri before his finger can even reach for the trigger.

Steve looks back, lips quirking up in a half smile. "Well, I've certainly learned my lesson by now about underestimating a pretty dame with a gun. Please, allow me to escort you."

With his shield raised in front of him, Steve charges ahead, Ari keeping pace right behind him. The shield takes the hits from blaster fire as they keep going, not stopping even when a Chitauri steps in front of them. Steve just blows right through them like a battering ram.

A group of five attack Steve at once, literally jumping on top of him to stop him in his tracks. He lets out a strangled cry as they tackle him to the ground, disappearing in the mass of limbs. Ari reaches for the closest one, trying to pull him off of Steve, but then Stark lands next to her, pushing her out of the way.

"We've got this," he urges. "Go!"

Trusting that Steve will be okay, Ari turns on her heel to keep going.

Thor and the Hulk drop out of the sky side by side in front of her, knocking Chitauri out of the way left and right. Ari falls into the path of their destruction, allowing them to clear the way until, finally, finally, they make it through the last of the fighting to stand at the bottom of the rubble heap.

Thanos lounges on the crumbling cement like it's a throne, looking down at them in challenge.

Bending his knees, Hulk leaps into the air straight for Thanos, fists held high ready to smash. Ari's heart rises to her throat as she watches. Hulk was able to take Loki out. Mabye….

Thanos backhands Hulk as soon as he's close, sending him flying into a building and crashing through the wall.

"Well, frag," Ari mutters, not sure what plan B is yet. Or maybe they're on plan C.

"Is that the best you can do?" Thanos taunts.

"Come down here and fight us, you coward!" Thor shouted. "Find out for yourself!"

Thanos barks out a laugh but obliges, jumping down from his perch a few feet in front of them. "Your father may have defeated me before, Asgardian, but you are not Odin. Do you really believe you can defeat a Titan?"

"Maybe not alone," Loki says, slipping out of the ongoing battle to stand next to Thor. "But you stand no chance against two sons of Odin."

"You are no son of Odin, Frost Giant," Thanos mocks. "You are but an orphan seeking love and acceptance from a people who were raised to hate you."

"I do not care what you say, Thanos," Thor retorts. "Loki is my brother, maybe not by blood, but that changes nothing. He is my brother, a son of Odin and Frigga. We still love him as one of our own and his heritage does not change that. Nor does his past."

Loki stares mutely at Thor, for once his silver tongue failing him. Ari isn't sure if this is Thor's first time actually saying he loves his brother or if this is Loki's first time maybe, truly believing it.

Loki swallows heavily. "I lost sight of that fact when I joined you, Thanos. I thought, when I found out I was born a monster, that meant I had to  _be_  a monster. I thought my blood defined me. I thought being a Jotun meant I could never be of the house of Odin. I fought to become king, to prove myself worthy of Odin, my family, and my royalty, but I had it all along."

His eyes turn to Ari, as unguarded as she's ever seen them. This is Loki. This is who he was all along. He only had to realize it.

"As for the rest of Asgard," he says, with a deep sigh that makes his shoulders sag and then lift like a huge weight is lifted off of them. "They do not matter to me. I have found allies and friends here, among the Midgardians and Cybertronians. Though we still have a long way to go to overcome all I have done, several have already started to look past my transgressions. They do not see the monster. They do not believe me to  _be_  a monster. And so I won't be. I will protect them from the real monster instead."

Thanos chuckles. "How sentimental of you, Loki. You disappoint me. When I plucked you out of the nothingness of space I thought you beyond such sentimentality. I had such high hopes for you."

He raises a hand, gauntlet crackling with orange energy. "Perhaps I should use the Mind Stone on you again. You were very useful to me before."

Oh, Pit no.

Ari raises her gun and fires at Thanos's head.

The bullet stops midair, dropping to the ground like before. Again, magic's not so cool anymore. She empties her clip, just to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, all the bullets stop, just a foot from Thanos's face.

"You leave my friend alone," Ari says, trying not to think about how much this fight is going to fragging hurt because she can so tell it will already.

Thanos frowns, dropping all pleasantries. "Have it your way."

He fires a bolt of energy and they lunge out of the way, the magic hot as it passes Ari's legs. Thor retaliates by holding out his hammer, launching crackling lightning at Thanos.

Thanos simply raises his hand, the gauntlet taking the hit without leaving even a scratch.

"You'll have to do better than that," he laughs.

Thor sends bolt after bolt of lightning, stepping towards Thanos with each hit but all of them are deflected.

"You will die this day, Thanos!" Thor roars, raising the hammer. "By the AllFather, I swear it!"

The hammer comes down, Thanos deflecting again with the side of the gauntlet. Thor is fast to follow up, swinging again and again. Loki joins him, using his knives to swipe at Thanos. Thanos tries to block them all but fails to stop the hit from the hammer that catches him right in the jaw. His head snaps back and he stumbles before righting himself.

Raising a hand to his chin, he wipes away a bit of blood. "Promises, promises."

Ari's brow furrows. It almost sounds like he'd be  _happy_  to die. That it's something he'd want. It makes her think of his comment about death earlier, that the destruction is a gift, and she starts to think that there might be some greater endgame here.

Thanos releases a massive shot of energy, flaring so bright Ari covers her eyes against it. Peeking through her fingers, she watches at the energy hits Thor and Loki, sending them flying into the side of a building. They slump in the dent their bodies made in the concrete, steam wafting up from their bodies like they just came out of a volcano.

They're unmoving. Ari takes a step towards them, chest tight.

Hulk lets out a massive roar, making Ari look up. He launches himself out of the hole he made in the building earlier, barging down on Thanos. The two collide and roll to the ground, grappling as they each try to gain the upper hand.

Thor and Loki groan in pain, rubble falling away as they lever themselves up, and Ari sighs in relief.

Hulk manages to get on top of Thanos, holding him down by the neck with one hand and pinning Thanos's arm with the other.

The arm with the gauntlet.

Seeing her chance, Ari darts forward, sliding to her knees next to them and grabbing the gauntlet. She yanks, struggling to get it off of his arm. His hand closes in a fist, trying to stop her from removing it.

"Just give up, Thanos," she pleads, trying to make him see reason. "You're finished."

Thanos grins, a grin that makes her uneasy. "Think again."

The gauntlet begins to glow again as he readies for another attack, Ari still trying to get it off his arm. But she doesn't move, she keeps struggling with it. This will hurt but if she can just get it off before he attacks….

He releases the bolt of energy. But he doesn't hit her. The magic shoots off towards the battle still waging not that far from them.

Ari's head snaps up, watching in horror as the energy hits Sideswipe in the back, melting through his metal armor.

They both cry out in pain, Ari's back feeling like it's on fire, like  _she_ was the one who was hit. Her breaths come in strangled gasps, heart stuttering in her chest, and she knows it's bad.

Sideswipe falls to the ground like a junk heap and Ari's vision narrows.

She abandons Thanos, sprinting for Sideswipe with everything she has.

Vaguely, she notices that the battle against the Decepticons and Chitauri is almost over. It's thinned out a lot, making running through the battle a lot easier than the first time around. Within seconds, she's at Sideswipe's side, kneeling next to his head.

His optics are dimming fast, already starting to blink in and out. She can feel it in her very soul, this deep, shattering ache like she's been stabbed with a thick spear.

He doesn't have much time. Neither of them do, because she can feel her own strength fading with his.

"Hang on, baby, I've got you," she says, voice cracking as the tears try to fight through her resolve. She climbs up onto his back, perching right in front of the massive hole in his chassis. It goes right through, the ground beneath him visible and a good chunk of his spark chamber gone.

"Sideswipe? Can you hear me?" She doesn't get a response and panic floods her as her arms begin to spark with the power of the AllSpark. "You just hang on for one minute, alright? Don't you dare fragging die on me!"

Ari sends the sparks down into his body, willing them to fix him, please, just fragging fix him. But the longer she sits there, watching with wide, terrified eyes…nothing happens. He doesn't heal. Metal doesn't reform. Wires don't reconnect.

Nothing.

"No, fraggit, come on!" Ari yells, tears flowing down her face as she continues to urge the AllSpark's power to heal him. But still nothing happens. He doesn't get better. His breaths are ragged, his chassis struggling to rise and fall beneath her. "No! No, please, no!"

Why? Is it because they're sparkmates now? She hasn't had to heal him in years, since before they got married. Is the bond somehow making it impossible for her to heal him?

"It is alright," a voice suddenly says in the silence, making Ari jump.

The sparks fade from her arms as her brain struggles to process everything around her. She thought the silence was just her panic blocking everything else out, but no, it is literally silent. There's no clanging of metal bashing together, no booms from blaster fire, no shouts or cries. It is completely silent.

Because all the people around her are completely still.

The humans, the Avengers, the Cybertronians, the Chitauri, even Thanos where he's still grappling with Hulk—they're all still like a photograph. Everyone is in mid battle, mid swing, mid fire. None of them move at all. It doesn't even look like they're breathing.

Except for Ari and Sideswipe.

And the woman in the black dress standing next to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know! Horrible ending. I'm a horrible person. But remember my love of happy endings! Everything will turn out alright in the end.
> 
> Next chapter will be this Thursday. Actually, it will be chapters, plural. There are only two chapters left plus an epilogue. Instead of doing only one chapter Thursday and waiting all the way to next Tuesday to get the ending, I'm just going to be nice and give you the rest of it all at once on Thursday. Does that make up for that ending?
> 
> Hope you enjoy, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	16. Life and Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Post 1 of 3
> 
> Alright, guys, today's the day. Time to finish this puppy. As it says above, this is chapter one of three that will be posted today. Make sure you catch it all.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

The woman has an ageless beauty about her that makes it hard to pinpoint how old she is. Long black hair flows down her back in waves and piercing green eyes stare up at Ari over a secretive little smile.

Ari doesn't know what secrets this woman holds but she gets the feeling it has something to do with stopping time.

"Who are you?" Ari asks, wiping the tears angrily from her face. "Are you the reason I can't heal Sideswipe?"

"In a way, yes," the woman replies, stepping closer on bare feet. The skirt of her dress ruffles around her like it's caught in a breeze, making her look like some Greek goddess. "I have us suspended in this moment, the moment right before Sideswipe dies, and you as well because of your connection to him."

She really stopped time? Seriously? Ari shakes her head, not really caring right now. "Well, stop it. Restart time or whatever so I can heal him! We won't die if you'd just let me heal him!"

"I will. You will both be fine. But first, I need to speak with you."

"Can't it wait?"

"No. I can only show myself to those who are dying."

Ari has a bad feeling about this. There's something about the woman that feels almost ominous. Chilling. Dangerous. She doesn't look like anything much but if she has the power to stop time, then what else is she capable of?

She wishes Sideswipe was coherent enough to be awake for all of this, so she wouldn't be alone, but he's already in stasis lock, his body's final fight against offlining. She's on her own.

"We've met before," the woman offers, eyes glancing downward briefly in a show of embarrassment that seems almost awkward for her. "I admit, it was not my best moment. The AllSpark allowed us to communicate and you saw me in my true form. I believe I scared you, which was not my intention, and I do apologize for that. But I had to warn you of what Thanos is planning."

Ari's jaw drops. "You're that Grim Reaper thing I saw in the vision a couple nights ago?"

She nods, smiling sheepishly. "Yes. Again, I am sorry."

"So who are you exactly?  _What_  are you?"

"I am Death."

The way she says it, it holds the weight of a thousand years. No, more than that. It holds the weight of time itself.

"What do you mean, you're Death?"

"When this universe came into being, when time was set in motion giving all living things a beginning and an end, I became the end. When anything dies, I am there to shepherd its soul into what comes next."

"Like with the Cybertronians? Their sparks return to the Well of Sparks when they offline. You help them get there?"

"Yes, exactly."

Ari swallows heavily. This feels so much bigger than any of the secrets the AllSpark has allowed her to see. This is actually one of the secrets the AllSpark has actively kept from her. Until now. "So you're the literal Grim Reaper. Is that why, in my vision, you looked like…that?"

"That is my original form, yes. Because we were able to connect through the AllSpark, you were able to see me as I truly am."

"Why don't you look like that now?"

"When something begins to die, their soul begins to leave their body, entering a different plane of existence, the one in which I live. Whenever I meet with someone who is dying, I try to take on a form they would find comforting."

Ari looks her up and down, still getting that sense of other that kind of freaks her out.

Still….

"This is definitely an improvement. But why do we have to talk like this at all? I don't like being almost dead."

"I needed to speak with you, urgently. We never got to finish our conversation from before and I did not think the…direct approach would be something you would be amiable with again. But because I live in a separate plane of existence with no way to get to your world, the only other way for you and I to talk…."

"Was for me to be dying so I could come to you." Ari cocks her head, trying to stay her rising temper. "Did you make Thanos shoot at Sideswipe?"

"No," she answers honestly. At least, Ari thinks it's honestly. It's hard to tell on a face like hers. Sometimes there seems to be emotion but she's more like an actress in a play, pretending to feel something she really doesn't. Ari doesn't think it's on purpose. She's just…not human. "I cannot affect your world. But I knew it would be inevitable for you or one of your comrades to become mortally wounded because of Thanos, and so I waited for the moment I could give you my message."

"And what is your message?" Ari asks impatiently, wanting to get this show on the road so she can heal Sideswipe already.

All pretense of emotion vanishes, Death's face turning stony. "That you are the only one who can stop Thanos."

Ari snorts humorlessly. "I'm starting to think no one can stop Thanos. He's more powerful than anything we've ever faced before. Any of us."

"That is very true. But what Thanos plans is something that cannot come to pass."

"You said before he wants to burn a thousand worlds," Ari muses, a sickening thought coming to mind. "You said he wants to do it because he's courting death. Is he…courting you? Romantically?"

Death is quiet a moment before she answers. "Yes."

"And burning a thousand worlds. It's some sort of gift for you?"

"Yes."

Ari shakes her head, rubbing a hand across her face in bafflement. "Why? How? Just…I don't even know. It just sounds so messed up. No offense."

"No, you are right. It is quite odd. We met by chance when he was younger. An accident that nearly killed him. He and I were able to meet, before his life was saved, and the moment…changed him. He never forgot it, and before he was brought back from the brink of death he swore his love to me, that he would find a way to be with me. I didn't believe him, of course. As you say, it is strange for someone to love a being such as me. But Thanos has an obsession with death and destruction that is unlike any I have ever met before."

"So in some sick, twisted way he thinks killing will make you happy?"

"Yes. Because I am Death, he thinks death will please me." She shakes her head, a soft smile lighting her face that actually seems real this time. "In a way, his actions do please me. No one has ever…thought of me before. Like that. No one has thought of my happiness before."

Ari tenses. "And you would actually be happy with a gift like that?"

The smile falls. "No. I have never felt anything one way or another for what I do, for the lives I take. I only care about the balance. The balance that keeps the entire universe going so that all of us, including myself, may continue to exist. And what Thanos plans will severely upset the balance between life and death. Everything will fall apart. And so you must stop him, Ari. Stop him before it is too late."

"But how?" She looks out over the battle where Thanos and Hulk are suspended in their fight, Thanos with that smile still on his face. He thinks this is  _fun_. Like he's enjoying himself. How are they supposed to beat someone like that?

Death laughs, a sound like a hundred twinkling stars. "Oh, Ari, you seem to forget. Thanos may be powerful, I may be powerful, but you are more powerful than any of us. You hold the power of the AllSpark, the power that made us all. You have the power to kill Thanos. The AllSpark can do it."

"I…." Ari's hand drops to her arm, right above her AllSpark marks. "That's not one of my marks. I don't have that power."

"You have the power of life."

"Yeah, to create life."

"And the other side of that coin is death. Both are part of each other. You can give life, and you can also take it away. You can use the AllSpark to take Thanos's life away. Make him cease to exist."

Ari looks down at her hands, seeing them differently than she ever has before. She has the power to take life? Like with the snap of her fingers? "I…I'm not sure I want that power."

"And that is one of the reasons why it was given to you." Ari looks up at the closeness of Death's voice. She's kneeling in front of Ari atop Sideswipe's chassis, reaching out a hand to cup her cheek. She's warm. Death is warm, which sounds so strange. "You won't abuse the power you were given and you do not use it lightly."

"Why else was I given this power?" Ari asks, unable to help herself. "The Primes said that Primus saw me as worthy of the AllSpark, but they never said why."

Death strokes her cheek before pulling back. "I am sorry, but that is not something for me to tell you. You still have much to do and learn on this journey set before you. To tell you too soon could compromise the outcome and tip the balance."

Ari deflates. It's like the AllSpark closing the doors in her mind, locking them so she can't see the knowledge that lies inside. Things have a set order to them that she cannot control. It's fragging frustrating. All she can do is hope that everything will turn out alright in the end.

"Are you ready?" Death asks, back on the ground again.

"Yeah," Ari says. More secrets and more mysteries. Nothing new, really, and they've always made it work before.

So long as they don't lose hope, they'll be alright. When hope is gone, that is when they lose. Not when people start dying. Not when the bad guy ends up on top. It all starts when they start to lose hope.

So Ari will keep on hoping, and fighting, even with her last breath. Because giving up is so not who she is.

Ari holds out her hands to Sideswipe, calling on the power of the AllSpark. "Do it."

"Good luck. And I pray that we will not meet again for many years."

Ari almost stumbles when it goes from complete silence to chaos again, time restarting along with the battle. Death is no longer in sight but Ari doesn't really care anymore, acting quickly to send the sparks down into Sideswipe.

She breathes a sigh of relief when he starts to heal, her chest loosening as both Sideswipe and Ari start to get better.

When the gape is fully closed Sideswipe's optics come back online. Ari scrambles off of him so he can sit up, rubbing the back of his head and looking around in confusion. "What happened?"

"You almost died, Sideswipe," she tells him, voice quivering, but he's fine. He's fine. She can freak out about this later. "And I had an interesting encounter."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, we've got a world to save."

He gets to his feet, fit and ready to go like nothing ever happened. "What do you need?"

"Get me back over there." She points to Thanos, who's managed to throw off the Hulk. Him, along with Thor and Loki, now have Thanos surrounded, but Thanos looks completely unworried.

He's going to kill someone. He's going to kill them all if she doesn't stop him.

Sideswipe holds out his hand to her. "You got it. Hop on."

She grabs his hand and he lifts her up to his back so she can cling to his shoulders, feet nestled into gaps in his armor for support. Once she has a good grip, Sideswipe takes off, skating through the battlefield with blades extended. He slices through anyone who comes too close, her knight and shield as she stays safe on his back.

Sideswipe skids to a halt at the edge of the battle, helping her down. She walks towards where Thanos is still surrounded, Sideswipe following, but she holds up a hand to stop him. "I've got this, Sides."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Make sure no one interferes."

He hesitates for a long moment before nodding. "Stay safe, sweetspark. I mean it."

She gives him a stern look. He's the one who just got shot. "You, too. Seriously."

He gives her a cocky grin with a bow and then returns to the battle. He better fragging keep himself safe. She doesn't want him anywhere near Thanos, not after what just happened, but it wasn't like he was anywhere near Thanos before either.

But hopefully she can stop all of this before someone else gets hurt.

Ari turns to her own battle, wondering if she really is ready for this. She's never liked having to kill. She wishes she wasn't the one who has to take that shot now. But she steps forward anyway, touching Loki's shoulder as she passes him.

"Lady Ari!" he warns, trying to pull her back, but she steps out of his reach.

"It's alright," she says, trying to pull confidence into her voice but she is downright terrified by what she's about to do. She's not entirely sure it's something Primus would approve of. Pit, she's not sure it's something  _she_  approves of. If she understands Death right, she's about to unmake Thanos. Completely erase him from existence.

This isn't a power she ever wanted. But she has it. And it has the potential to save them all.

And if she really wasn't meant to do this, then the AllSpark never would have allowed her to meet Death the first time, through the vision. It must be right, but it still feels so wrong. It feels like crossing a line between being human and something…more. More, but not necessarily better. People like the Asgardians and Thanos, they're so powerful they believe themselves to be gods.

Ari doesn't want to end up like that. Having ultimate control over life and death, it could do that to her.

But she keeps going anyway, one foot in front of the other, ignoring Loki's and Thor's protests. Even the Hulk's roars sound disapproving. But she ignores them, standing right in front of Thanos.

He looks down on her with mocking eyes. "And what do you think you are doing, girl?"

"I've met her," Ari murmurs, barely above a whisper.

"Who?"

"You're mistress. Death."

All the pride wipes right off his face, revealing a vulnerability that seems odd on him and yet oddly fitting. "How?"

"You just almost killed me. How do you think?"

His brow furrows as he looks out over the battlefield and then his face clears in realization. "Ah, a soulbond. How rare, especially for a human."

She shrugs. "Yeah, well, I'm not sure I'm entirely human anymore, so the usual rules don't exactly apply to me."

"So the AllSpark allowed you to form a bond with the Cybertronian?"

"Yes. And since you just almost killed him, you also almost killed me. I met Death. Do you want to know what she said?" She doesn't wait for a reply. "She asked me to stop you."

Anger burns in his eyes. "I don't believe you."

"What is all this about?" Thor mutters somewhere behind her.

"I have no idea," Loki replies.

Ari straightens her shoulders, raising her chin in defiance. Maybe she can convince Thanos to stop this foolishness. "Death doesn't see this as the gift you want it to be, Thanos. She doesn't want you to burn a thousand worlds. She doesn't want you to kill for her."

"Lies!" Thanos throws a bolt of magic at her, one she easily sidesteps. He's becoming erratic, eyes wild, chest rising and falling like he's just run for miles. "Once I have all of the Infinity Stones, I will be powerful enough to go to her plane so that I may see her once again. I will present my gift of destruction to her as a token, to prove my love to her. She will accept it!"

"Is this seriously all about a girl?" Loki hisses.

"She won't accept it, Thanos!" Ari tells him. "She said what you plan to do will tip the balance of life and death, the balance of the universe. You'll just end up destroying us all, including her."

"Lies!" he cries again, throwing both hands out at her and releasing a massive amount of energy.

Loki steps in front of her, raising his own hands and creating an ice wall in front of them. The energy hits it, shattering the wall into thousands of chunks of ice but saving them.

Ari blinks, wheels turning.

Ice.

Loki is a Frost Giant. He has the power to create ice.

Maybe she doesn't have to do it. Maybe she doesn't have to unmake Thanos, to take his life back. She doesn't have to cross that line. Maybe there's another way.

"Whatever it is you plan on doing, you better do it quickly," Loki urges but Ari just shakes her head rapidly, staring at him in excitement.

"Maybe I won't have to," she says, plot formulating in her head. "Loki, do you think you can freeze Thanos?"

Another wave of energy is sent their way and Loki blocks it again. "Maybe. But only for a few moments. He is too powerful for my magic to hold."

"What if you had the gauntlet? Would you be strong enough to create something permanent to hold him then?"

He sends her a wild look over his shoulder. "Are you mad?"

She grins. "Just maybe. Can you do it?"

Thor and Hulk rush Thanos, taking over keeping him busy and allowing Loki to face her. His brow is furrowed, eyes casting over her like he thinks she's insane. Or offering water to a dying man. "I suppose. But do you really trust me with the gauntlet and an Infinity Stone?'

"Yes, I do," she replies, without hesitation, which seems to completely throw Loki.

But he probably hasn't had someone actually trust him since before Thor's banishment. And he didn't expect it to ever happen again. Ari believes he's proven himself, though. He wouldn't be here fighting with them otherwise.

His hands clench into fists at his sides, gratitude shining in his eyes. "I will work hard to live up to that trust, Lady Ari. You have my word."

She smiles. "I know. Now, I need you to freeze Thanos, just long enough so I can get the gauntlet off of him.

"Alright. But be careful not to touch the ice. It is not normal. Frost Giant ice burns mortals." He hesitates before adding, "Do not touch me either. This will take all that I have. I will need to change into my true form."

She nods her understanding, her lack of fear at the prospect of seeing him as a Frost Giant comforting him. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath through his nose, and then lets it out slowly. With the breath, his skin begins to change, pale tan turning to blue with raised lines on his face, neck, and hands, almost like tribal markings.

When he opens his eyes again, the whites are blood red.

He smiles self-deprecatingly, probably expecting her to flee. Instead, she steps closer to him, careful not to touch like he said.

His shoulders droop a little in relief and then he turns to the task at hand.

Thor and Hulk are still fighting against Thanos, though it's more like they're playing whack-a-mole with Thor and Hulk as the moles. Thanos is roaring like an animal, fists flying as he tries to hit them. Magic flares every few hits, casting about wildly as Thanos's fury fuels the gauntlet.

Loki's red eyes follow Thanos like a hawk, just waiting for the right moment to strike. And when he sees it, he raises his hands and releases his own magic. A blue, frost-like power shoots out from his palms and hits Thanos in the back, sharp crackling filling the air as ice spreads across Thanos's body. In just seconds, Thanos is completely encased in ice from head to toe, all except his left arm wearing the gauntlet.

Ari races forward, yanking on the gauntlet with all her might. It slips off much more easily this time, causing her to stumble.

She looks down at it in amazement for a second before the cracking of the ice beginning to break sets a fire under her feet. She returns to Loki's side just as the ice begins to fall off of Thanos in chunks, handing it to him.

"Give that back!" Thanos demands once his head is free.

Loki slips the gauntlet onto his own hand. It's a loose fit since Thanos is so much bigger than him, but it works just fine. "I do not think so, Thanos. You have tormented the universe long enough."

Ice streams out of the gauntlet, blasting Thanos, but he fights against it. He tries to walk against the current of magic, hands held up to shield his face like he's trying to push through blizzard winds. But with each step he takes towards Loki, the harder it is for him to walk. Ice breaks out across his skin like before, except this time it's much thicker. Before, it was just a thin coating, like a second skin.

Now, it's several feet thick, creating a huge chunk of ice. Once he's fully encased it looks like Thanos is frozen in time again, suspended in ice right where he stands with eyes wide open in horror.

Ari watches with held breath, waiting for him to break out of it again, but the ice holds. She can't even tell if he's still alive in there.

"Is it over?" Thor asks, the battle all around them coming to an abrupt halt. All of the Chitauri are dead, the Decepticons either offlined or running. It always amazes her how sudden the end of a battle can be. It's not gradual like the changing from night to day. It's like turning on a light switch, bathing them in light.

Everyone else gathers around Thanos, examining him like he's an ice sculpture. "Is he alive?" Natasha asks.

Loki attempts to speak but instead falls to his knees, chest heaving for air and sweat plastering his black hair to his blue skin.

Thor kneels beside his brother in worry, hands hovering without touching. "Are you alright?"

"I am…fine," Loki gasps, wobbling slightly like he's about to fall over. "Thanos is still alive but…suspended in the ice. Like a deep sleep. Using the gauntlet…even he will not be able to escape without help."

"Good job, Loki," Steve praises, though it sounds a bit flat. He's unnerved, but not by Loki's blue state. His eyes are on the gauntlet. "Now take the gauntlet off so we can take it somewhere safe."

The Avengers stiffen, even Clint and Natasha, afraid that Loki won't give up the gauntlet and stone now that he's had a taste of their power.

He hands it over, though, without hesitation. Although with a little exhaustion. He slips it off his arm and tosses it aside, having no energy for anything more. Steve picks it up, tucking it safely beneath an arm.

What they plan on doing with it, Ari doesn't know. But right now she doesn't really care. It's over. Thanos is defeated. She didn't have to cross a line she wasn't ready to cross.

They won.

"So," Stark drawls, the faceplate of the Iron Man suit popping up. He grins. "Anyone up for some shawarma?"

"I don't know what that is, but if it's food, then yes," Rob says, slinging the strap of his gun across his shoulders.

"I don't know how you're hungry," Will says, sweat dripping from his hair. "I'm exhausted."

"I second that," Loki adds, still sitting on the ground.

"And with food, we need to do story time," Stark insists. "First, starting with how pipsqueak is the AllSpark and following with why Loki is blue."

"Stark, can't this wait until later?" Ari asks, rocking backwards on tired feet. Her back hits metal and she smiles, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against Sideswipe's leg. "Like, tomorrow maybe?"

"We just went through a war together, squirt. Pretty sure I can let you call me Tony now."

"Then, please, call me Ari," she half-begs. "For the love of Primus, call me Ari."

"We really should get Thanos secure," Steve cuts in. "And the gauntlet."

"A S.H.I.E.L.D. team is already on the way to take care of cleanup," Clint reassures. "They should be here in a few minutes. I suggest we scram before Phil finds us and demands a debrief."

"You guys go ahead, then. I'll catch up with you once I know the area's secure."

"It's not like they have a lot of ground to cover," Natasha says, making Ari open her eyes.

She looks out at the destruction their battle wrought, and Natasha's right. The battlefield seemed so large to Ari when she was running through it, but it was actually only a few blocks. The fate of the world, the fate of the entire universe, was determined within a few blocks of New York City.

That doesn't seem right somehow. That something so big could happen in a space so small.

Sideswipe nudges her through the bond, asking if she's alright. She feeds him reassurance that, yes, physically she's fine, but her chest goes tight like it's filling with tears. The bond leaks with his panic but she just closes her eyes, lifting up her hands to him wordlessly.

He picks her up, cradling her tightly in his arms, and she clings to him with all of her enhanced strength. She almost lost him. She literally met Death because he—and she—had been so close to Death's door. Feeling him get hurt like that, feeling him so close to offlining, it was the worst experience of her life.

Sideswipe seems to understand all of that and more, even without words, and holds her as tight as he dares.

"We need to stop with the near-death experiences, Sides," she whispers, voice cracking.

"I know," he says, stroking his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry."

She shakes her head, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "Not your fault. Just…slag, that scared the frag out of me."

"You're not the only one," Sunstreaker says, clapping Sideswipe's shoulder opposite of where Ari's nestled. "But it's over now. And we're all okay."

"Everyone?" Ari asks, opening her eyes and looking around to see who's still standing. "No one needs me to heal them? Or a medic?"

"Everyone is fine, Ari," Optimus says with a smile. "It's over."

It doesn't feel like it, though. For some reason, Ari can't untense. She can't relax. Maybe it's just the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. Maybe she'll feel better after a while. Maybe she just needs to sleep.

But there's this strange foreboding in the back of her mind. Like this was just one small battle in a bigger war that's still to come.

"Hey, you coming or what?" Tony calls out from in front of the Tower, all the humans starting to file inside. Down the road, a bunch of black vans are headed their way, S.H.I.E.L.D. coming to set up a perimeter to clean up this mess and keep the curious civilians back who are just starting to poke their heads out of hiding.

"Be right there!" she calls back, shaking paranoid thoughts from her mind.

It's probably nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Ari has some very scary potential. But she doesn't embrace the dark side and finds another way. Now, Thanos is trapped, which may honestly be worse. All Thanos wants is to be with Death. Now he'll never be able to get what he wants, not even by dying himself.
> 
> Next chapter wraps things up with all of our characters and then there's an epilogue. It'll be up in a few minutes.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	17. Trust Your Instincts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Post 2 of 3
> 
> Here is the second chapter of the day. If you did not read the previous chapter, please go back and read it or this won't make sense!
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Tony orders a ridiculous amount of food for them all, though maybe not so ridiculous since the entire group is eating together for once and they're at least a couple dozen. Still, he probably buys out the entire restaurant's supply of shawarma.

But they won and they're celebrating.

This post-battle get together is definitely a lot better than the last few. No one is separated, the food is a lot better, and there are no debriefs. That last point is thanks to Jarvis, who doesn't let Fury up the elevator when he arrives. Phil tries, able to override Jarvis and come up without the director in order to talk some sense into them to return to a nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. base.

"Come on, Phil, do we really need to do this now?" Ari whines, a piece of questionable meat hanging from her fork. She has no idea what shawarma is exactly but it tastes pretty good so she's not questioning the food people keep piling on her plate.

Phil sighs, his frustration starting to break through his mask. "Yes, we do need to do this now. You know how it is. Best to get it done as soon as possible, while the memories are freshest."

"Why is this even necessary?" Sunstreaker asks, stealing food off of John's plate. He's too busy talking to Evie and Trent to notice, waving his fork around wildly as he speaks. "There are security cameras all over this place and the street below. Just watch the security footage. That'll answer any of your questions."

"You know there is more to it than that," Optimus admonishes, steering him away from John with a little glare and over toward where all the food is laid out on the kitchen island of the common room. "Phil does have a point."

"But the entire universe almost died today," Ari says, jutting out her bottom lip and using her best Bambi eyes, the ones that always get Sideswipe to cave. "We deserve a little break, don't we? A victory lap before we get down to business?"

The corners of Phil's mouth tip upward slightly and she knows she almost has him.

"All we're asking for is one hour. Just one hour to unwind a little after very nearly losing everything. And then we'll debrief. That sound fair?"

She doesn't break eye contact as he seems to deliberate, probably arguing with the Nick Fury inside his head about proper protocols and procedures.

But in the end, he ends up sighing, taking off his jacket, and loosening his tie.

"Why not?" he says with a smile, taking off the mask as well. Truly taking a break from being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. "It's been a long day, after all."

As they eat, Thor frets over Jane and Darcy, who are no worse for wear after the explosion in the lab. Jane and Darcy—along with Pepper—then fret over everyone else, going around the room with first aid kits to take care of any minor wounds.

Ratchet takes care of the more serious ones as the only semi-medical doctor in the common room. Bruce has training as well but he's little more than a zombie after de-Hulking, back leaning against a couch and in a fresh change of clothes. Ratchet doesn't really need help taking care of all of them, though. There's nothing worse than a dislocated shoulder. No one even needs to go to the hospital. And none of the Autobots need Ari's help either.

Ari settles a little at seeing everyone she cares about alive and okay. But only a little.

They eat, they relax, and once everyone is full and secure in the fact that they're all safe, Phil insists they discuss what happened so they can get it out of the way.

They start—at Tony's insistence—with how Ari became the AllSpark, Ari finally feeling comfortable enough to tell them about it. There's shock, disbelief, awe. And then there's Darcy, who huffs from where she sits on the couch, crossing her arms in front of her chest with her bottom lip jutting out like a child.

Ari's brow furrows, expecting a lot of reactions but not pouting. "What's wrong?"

"And here I thought you were normal like the rest of us," Darcy whines. "A normal woman who's also really kickaft. But no, you're actually enhanced like the rest of these superheroes."

"Hey, I'm not enhanced," Clint reminds her.

"Neither am I," Tony chimes in, surprisingly not so grouchy about the deception. Though that probably has to do with explaining how the World Security Council reacted to the development.

And Pepper sitting on his lap, ever the voice of reason for him.

Darcy rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but you two got all the fancy tech to help you out."

"How is my bow fancy?" Clint asks curiously. "Most people call it medieval."

"You still got the fancy arrows."

He concedes with a shrug of his shoulders.

Darcy sighs. "I guess Jane, Pepper, and I are still the only normal ones in this crazy bunch."

Ari smirks, snuggling into the side of Sideswipe's holoform on another couch, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. "I'm sorry, but I don't see how you three are normal. Normal doesn't belong in a group like this, but you do."

Darcy smiles, liking the sound of that, and exchanging a high-five with Jane.

Steve gently gets them back on track, "So what about Loki?"

"Yeah, why is he blue?" Tony asks with a mocking grin. "He some kind of Smurf?"

"I did save your life, Stark," Loki mutters, head leaned back against the cushions of a recliner with his eyes closed. He's still totally drained, not even enough energy to use his magic to make him look like an Asgardian again. "Don't make me regret it."

Pepper's eyes shoot to Tony in surprise, her arms tightening around his neck. "Is that true?"

Tony sobers. "Yeah, it's true."

Pepper looks back to Loki, eyes glistening with tears but she doesn't let them fall. This probably isn't the first time Tony has almost died, but that's something that never gets any easier. "Thank you," she whispers, full of sincerity.

Loki's head jerks up, red eyes opening in surprise. "You're welcome," he replies, mostly on reflex.

"And why did you do it, Loki?" Natasha asks, like she already knows the answer but wants to hear him say it. "Why did you save him?"

"Because all of you would have been annoyingly sentimental if I didn't?" he drawls.

"Loki," Thor gently admonishes. "Please, be serious."

"I find that funny coming from you, brother."

Thor blinks in surprise, the room stilling into silence as they stare at Loki. Loki glances around curiously, and then seems to realize what it is he said.

He called Thor his brother.

Loki's mouth opens and closes, searching for something to say, but for once his way with words is of no help to him. He could deny it, sure. Play it off like he's kidding. But he doesn't. Instead, he closes his mouth, offering no comment, but not taking it back either.

Something has changed in him, something he seems to only be realizing now himself.

"Being on Asgard has always been difficult for me," Loki says slowly, thinking the words through before he says them. Not to create lies but to sift through to the truth. "I may not have always realized it, but I always felt I did not belong. Even among people who claimed to be my friends.

"But here," his eyes find Ari, staring at her with a kind of wonder, "I do not feel that way. Even when in shackles, there were those who saw the monster and weren't afraid."

"You're not a monster," Ari tells him. Some of the others blanch and she shakes her head. "Tell them the truth, Loki. All of it. It's time they knew."

He hesitates, fingers digging into the armrests of his chair, but then he lets go and begins. He explains what he is, how Asgardians are raised to despise Frost Giants, and what happened when Loki found out the truth. He tells them what happened when he fell from the Bifrost, and then what Thanos did to him.

What Thanos _made_  him do.

"Is all of this true?" Optimus asks, looking to Ari for confirmation.

She nods. "The AllSpark showed me. All of it. Everything he says is true and it was…horrible."

"What, so everything is all fine and dandy now?" Tony bites, arms tightening around Pepper. "You didn't mean to try to take over the Earth so no biggie?"

"You didn't hold my actions against me," Clint reminds everyone quietly from where he sits on the floor, leaning back against Natasha's legs.

"And you don't hold it against me whenever the Other Guy does bad things," Bruce says just as quietly, staring up at the ceiling with haunted eyes. "We've all done monstrous things, Tony. Even you."

Tony flinches, turning his face to avoid looking at anyone.

Steve crosses his arms in front of his chest, leveling Loki with a heavy stare filled with his own ghosts. "If we expect to be forgiven for the sins of our past, then we have to be willing to forgive the past sins of others. Especially since you were not at fault."

"Does that mean you are willing to forgive me?" Loki asks, voice carefully controlled to give nothing away.

"I think it means we're willing to try," Phil says, rubbing his chest absently where Loki stabbed him with the scepter.

Loki bows his head. "That is all I ask."

"But you never really answered my question," Natasha probes. "Why did you save Tony?"

Loki stares down at his hands, holding his palms together with fingers splayed. "Because, while I may never have felt accepted on Asgard, I believe I may be able to find acceptance here, on Midgard. Among you humans." His eyes find Natasha, and then shift to Clint. "As I have said, you do not see the monster…the Frost Giant inside of me. You do not even see me as a prince. You simply see me as Loki, and I…did not think I would ever find that. You humans, I dare say, are not as insignificant as I first believed you to be."

"You've made friends," Ari says with a smile. "Real friends. And you knew Tony dying would make us sad."

"Yes, I…suppose that is true. I knew his death would affect you all and I…did not wish to see my new friends suffer." He chuckles to himself. "How is it that sentiment can creep up on you without you knowing it?"

"It's not so bad, is it?"

He smiles softly. "No, I suppose it's not."

"When we return to Asgard, I am going to ask our father for permission to stay here, on Midgard," Thor says, looking at Loki curiously. "Would you like to stay as well?"

Loki blinks in surprise. "Do you really think he will grant us permission?"

Thor smirks, holding Jane's hand tightly in his own. "I wasn't planning on giving him much of a choice. We can always return home when the occasion calls for it. If there is a dire need for our aid or if we simply wish to visit home. But Odin is king. The time for a successor to step up to the throne will not come for some time. He does not need us there. Unless he wishes to lose us, he will let us go."

Loki sags back into the recliner, looking lighter than Ari has ever seen him. "Then, yes, I would like to stay."

"You can stay here in the Tower if you like," Pepper offers. "For as long as you want."

"Hey!" Tony squawks. "My Tower! What if I don't want him staying here?"

Pepper hits him lightly on the shoulder, giving him a stern look. "He saved your life, Tony. Letting him stay here is the least you could do."

Tony holds up his hands in defeat, though he doesn't really seem put off by it. "Fine! Fine, stay here. Mi casa es su casa."

Ari smiles, wishing she could give Loki a hug but he probably isn't up to that yet. He made the choice. He chose to do better. To not be the monster everyone has always believed Frost Giants to be.

He's changed.

After everyone is up to speed on past events, they move on to current, debriefing the events of the day. It's long and tedious but they know Phil is right when he insists on doing it. Best to get it over with, when the memories are fresh. They move through it as quickly as possible, everyone giving their own view of events. Everyone is starting to wear down and they just want this over with now.

But there's still one more thing they need to discuss—what happens to Thanos and the gauntlet.

Thor insists on taking them both back to Asgard. They agree on Thanos—Asgard is the most likely place to have the proper containment capable of making sure he stays frozen—but everyone is against allowing Asgard to have the gauntlet and the Infinity Stone as well.

"Asgard is the safest place for it," Thor argues, fists clenching and unclenching like he's seconds away from grabbing Mjolnir. Loki would probably be backing him up as well if he weren't passed out cold.

Ari smiles, watching Loki's face. This is the most relaxed she's ever seen him, his face completely open. He looks years younger like this with no troubles tightening around his eyes. Fully able to relax around people he considers friends and people who might one day soon make it there as well.

"Yeah, not happening, big guy," Tony says, voice light but eyes hard.

Thor opens his mouth but Ari cuts him off, "Thor, we went over this already. Seriously. Putting more than one Infinity Stone in the same place is too dangerous. We need to keep them separated. For the safety of the entire universe."

Grudgingly, Thor agrees, following up with, "Then where should the gauntlet and stone be kept?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. could take it," Phil offers.

Ari frowns. "Sorry, Phil, but I'm not sure that's such a good idea either."

Phil's face stiffens into his mask. "And why is that?"

"I think I have to agree with her, boss," Clint says. "That's exactly what the enemy would expect."

"What enemy? Thanos is defeated."

"For now," Natasha says, tapping her nails against the armrest of her chair. "What if he escapes one day?"

"And it's not like Thanos is the only one out there who might want the stones," Will agrees. "The best place for the gauntlet and stone is with the people best capable of protecting them—the Autobots."

Phil's left eye twitches, not liking it.

"Come on, Phil," Ari implores. "You know this is the right call. The stone and gauntlet need to be protected. Always. Until the end of time. We're the only ones capable of doing that."

The Autobots live for a very long time, even longer than Asgardians. Ari will, too, because of the AllSpark. They're the best ones to take care of such dangerous objects so that others won't have to be brought in again and again as time passes, humans growing old and being replaced by coming generations.

"Very well," Phil sighs, typing something out on his phone. "They will be transferred to you as soon as you head back to the N.E.S.T. base."

Ari nods. "Thank you."

The impromptu party quietly dies after that, everyone turning in for the night. It's not even dark out yet but that hardly matters. Everyone is exhausted. Ari and Sideswipe are among the first to escape, heading for their room in the Tower for what will probably be the last time.

At least for this visit. Ari gets the feeling that they'll be back here, sooner rather than later, and not just because of Tony getting the contract to take a look at Cybertronian tech. These people have quickly become family, making Ari smile.

Her family has gotten bigger than she ever imagined it would before.

As soon as they're behind closed doors Sideswipe wraps Ari up in his arms again. It always amazes her how different his holoform is from his bipedal form and yet there're still somehow so much alike. It's still him.

The same strength in flesh arms instead of metal, muscles flexing as he holds her tight. The same metal and earth smell as she buries her face in the crook where his head and shoulder meet, breathing in deep. The same hum of his spark vibrating against her chest, reaching out to her across the bond and making her feel like she's home even though she's so far away from her own bed.

Though it's not like she ever actually uses her bed. That's something she really misses right now, sleeping atop Sideswipe's chassis, warm metal beneath her and all around her.

But the holoform certainly has some perks, she thinks as Sideswipe brushes the backs of his fingers from her temple to her chin, leaving a fiery trail in their wake. Those same fingers tilt her chin up, bringing her lips to his that causes that fire to spread across her body all the way to her toes.

She melts into him, hands digging into his shirt at his shoulders. His left arm is a solid band at her back, pulling her impossibly closer as his right hand slides up into her hair.

Ari sighs into his mouth, body shivering with the relief that they're both okay, but there's still that tight ache in her chest, like she's waiting for a punch but doesn't know from where.

This foreboding has been festering inside of her since Death warned her the first time. With Thanos defeated and the world saved, she thought it would be gone by now.

But it's not.

"What's wrong?" Sideswipe asks softly, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I don't know," she mumbles, brow furrowed in frustration. "I still feel like…something bad is coming."

"We're fine, sweetspark. Everyone is fine, we're all in one piece, and Thanos can't hurt anyone else ever again."

She tucks her head beneath his chin, not wanting even an inch of space between them. "I know that. But I still feel like, I don't know, that something's been set in motion. That something is coming."

"You can't think like that, sweetspark. Thanos is never coming back. He's never getting out of that ice."

"I don't mean Thanos. I mean something…else."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. But my instincts have never been wrong before."

He presses a kiss to the top of her head, hand skimming up and down along her back. "There's a first time for everything."

"Do you really think this is the time?"

"We can always hope."

The doors in Ari's mind suddenly slam open, pulling her in like a whirlpool before she can do so much as scream. Before she can even take a breath. She's pulled under, pulling her away from Sideswipe and reality.

Looks like hope isn't doing them so much good this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't break out the pitchforks yet. Please. Let's at least talk first.
> 
> So Loki is on the side of good now. And he's changed. I hope you guys have liked his progress. Trying to make it feel natural was hard and I hope I did okay. But we'll be seeing more of redeemed!Loki in future installments, don't worry.
> 
> Next chapter will be up in a bit and it'll be the end for When Hope is Gone. Let's go see what has Ari all worried.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	18. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Post 3 of 3
> 
> Well, this is it, my friends. This is the end of this particular journey. It's been a blast and a privilege.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

She wakes in the dark. Again. That weird nowhere place where she first met Death. She tries to keep her breathing even, counting her breaths to keep herself calm. She's in no real danger. Nothing is going to jump out at her and hurt her.

But this place is still fragging creepy.

A small light appears in the distance, just like before. And just like before, Ari runs towards it, wanting to get this over with and out of this place.

But once she stands in front of Death again, skull and black robes and all, she can't help but wonder what this is all about.

"I thought you said we wouldn't see each other again for a long time," Ari says slowly. "At least, not until I'm meant to die anyway. That's…not now, right?"

" _No, it is not your time,"_  Death says, in that same freaky voice that's neither male nor female. She…He…She…It… _She_  steps closer gracefully, robes billowing around her skeletal form like a wraith in the night.

"Then why am I here? Is it because I didn't kill Thanos like you told me to?"

" _No. That was, in fact, a test. To become aware of such a dangerous, god-like ability and then faced with the choice of whether or not to use it."_

Ari bites her lip nervously. "Did I pass?"

Death bows her head in respect.  _"You did. Power such as this should never be used lightly, something you understand. You can easily lose yourself to this burden you were given, Ari, becoming a monster the likes of Thanos. Never forget that."_

"I won't," Ari promises, swallowing heavily. She wonders if she really would have fallen off of that edge if she had made a different choice today.

But there's no point in worrying about that.

"Is that the only reason you called me here? To tell me I passed the test?"

" _I'm afraid not."_

Ice forms in the pit of Ari's stomach, an ice that refuses to melt and instead crawls up her spine.

" _You know why you are here."_

Ari give a hesitant nod. "Something's coming, isn't it?"

" _Something far worse than you could ever possibly imagine."_  It's hard to tell what Death is feeling or thinking since she has no expressions—no face—but Ari swears she hears fear in her voice. A fear that shakes Death itself.  _"I thought him long since lost, even to me. I thought he would drift through space until the end of time. I was wrong. Somehow, he has awakened. And he dreams of a destruction far worse than Thanos could ever even imagine."_

"Who is coming?"

" _Unicron."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now the pitchforks might be warranted. I know, I know, I'm horrible. And evil.
> 
> Why is it so much fun? :)
> 
> Hopefully this will answer some of your questions of what I'm doing for the future of this series, though. Unicron is coming. Which means, yes, I am doing the rest of the Transformers movies. And the Avengers will be a part of all the fun. Meaning, unfortunately, it's going to take some time before I get the next installment up and running. Merging the two universes and making this my own is going to be a chore and a half. Make sure you subscribe to The Marked Chronicles series so you don't miss it!
> 
> Well, it's been real. Time to go set this story as complete.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Files](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12096504) by [GalaxyEagle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyEagle/pseuds/GalaxyEagle)




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